Legislative Developments

As a result of the government shutdown, some Democrats in Congress have introduced FECRA legislation similar to the SCRA to help protect federal workers. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is a revision to a federal law dating back to World War II. Congress passed the law to allow servicemembers some leeway regarding obligations back home,…

The Washington state House of Representatives recently passed provisions that broaden the protections of the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). House Bill 1056, which passed unanimously, has a similar version, Senate Bill 5041, for the Senate’s consideration. The proposed legislation would permit the servicemember to terminate or suspend additional types of contracts beyond those already covered…

In 2015, a revision to the U.S. Code changed how the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act was numbered and cited. The House of Representatives Office of the Law Revision Counsel eliminated the appendix to Title 50 of the U.S. Code on Dec. 1, 2015. The appendix had been a repository for various, temporary pieces of legislation. Thus,…

Over the past several years, the Department of Justice has been vigorously pursuing banks and other financial institutions that have violated the SCRA (the “Act”).  Some of the provisions of settlement agreements have included burdens and standards that exceed those currently required under the Act. In December 2015, the DOJ submitted to Congress SCRA legislation…