House passes bill to expand SCRA rights

House passes bill to expand SCRA rights
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 3, 2009 16:06:08 EST

An omnibus veterans bill, which includes an expansion of Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act protections and allows parents to be buried in veterans cemeteries if their military sons or daughters had no dependents, has passed the House of Representatives and joins a growing pile of legislation awaiting Senate action.

The Veterans’ Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act of 2009 passed the House on Tuesday by a 382-2 vote. It expands service members’ ability to cancel service contracts without penalty if they move to a new duty station or deploy overseas for 180 days or more.

Under the bill, HR 3949, contracts for cell phones, including family plans; retail and vehicle leases; and utilities, Internet and cable services could be cancelled without penalty or early termination fees if a service member provides a copy of orders and a written cancellation note.

The bill would close loopholes in current law that sometimes do not allow cancellation when a family member’s name is also on the contract, or that still allow termination fees in some cases.

The bill also would allow the government or individuals to sue businesses or people that violate a service member’s legal or financial protections under the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act. The government can seek penalties of up to $110,000, and a service member can seek monetary damages for violations.

Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_scra_vet...