November 12, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 180 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H8757-H8758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROTECTING FAMILIES OF FALLEN SERVICEMEMBERS ACT

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4356) to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow 
certain individuals to terminate contracts for telephone, multichannel 
video programming, or internet access service, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4356

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Families of 
     Fallen Servicemembers Act''.

     SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS FOR TELEPHONE, MULTICHANNEL 
                   VIDEO PROGRAMMING, OR INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE 
                   BY CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS UNDER SERVICEMEMBERS 
                   CIVIL RELIEF ACT.

       Section 305A(a) of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 
     U.S.C. 3956(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
     new paragraph:
       ``(4) Additional individuals covered.--For purposes of this 
     section, the following individuals shall be treated as a 
     servicemember covered by paragraph (1):
       ``(A) A spouse or dependent of a servicemember who dies 
     while in military service or a spouse or dependent of a 
     member of the reserve components who dies while performing 
     duty described in subparagraph (C).
       ``(B) A spouse or dependent of a servicemember who incurs a 
     catastrophic injury or illness (as that term is defined in 
     section 439(g) of title 37, United States Code), if the 
     servicemember incurs the catastrophic injury or illness while 
     in military service or performing duty described in 
     subparagraph (C).
       ``(C) A member of the reserve components performing 
     military service or performing full-time National Guard duty, 
     active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as 
     such terms are defined in section 101(d) of title 10, United 
     States Code).''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. 
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 4356, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4356, as amended, the 
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill was introduced by Representative Josh Harder 
from California, and I thank him for his work with the committee on the 
bill. It expands on the work the committee did last Congress in 
partnership with Representative Bustos to improve the Servicemembers 
Civil Relief Act.
  This bill ensures that spouses and dependents of both Active and 
Reserve component servicemembers who are catastrophically injured or 
pass away while in service to this Nation have protections under the 
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, otherwise known as SCRA. Specifically, 
the bill allows impacted servicemembers or their families to terminate 
cable, internet, and phone service.
  Servicemembers and families undergo difficult life transitions 
because of a catastrophic injury or death of loved ones. Families 
should have the flexibility to be at the servicemember's side during 
recovery. Surviving spouses and family members of fallen servicemembers 
should easily be able to move closer to family and friends or other 
support networks. Families dealing with the difficult loss or injury of 
their loved ones should not have to worry about contracts or 
cancellation fees.
  I would like to note that this legislation unanimously passed the 
House last Congress and has been updated to reflect improvements 
recommended by veterans service organizations.
  I also thank Dr. Wenstrup, who served with us on the committee for 
several Congresses, for his focus on the issue and for working with Mr. 
Harder on this bill.
  Finally, I thank the Paralyzed Veterans of America for highlighting 
the need to include catastrophically disabled veterans and families in 
our work to improve the SCRA.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud the bipartisan work of Congressman Levin and 
Congressman Bilirakis on moving this bill through committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in voting to 
pass H.R. 4356, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4356, as amended, the 
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief 
Act to give a spouse or dependent of a servicemember who experiences a 
catastrophic injury or who dies while in military service the ability 
to terminate telephone, multichannel video programming, or internet 
service contracts.
  This bill would also extend SCRA protections to members of the 
National Guard and Reserve who are executing Active Duty orders or 
performing inactive duty training. These are worthwhile protections for 
our servicemembers and are worthy of our support.
  This bill is sponsored by Congressman Josh Harder from California, 
and I appreciate his work.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), my good friend. Dr. Colonel Brad 
Wenstrup is a combat veteran of Iraq who is still on Reserve duty and 
has served at both Fort Belvoir Hospital and Walter Reed Hospital.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Roe for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4356, the Protecting 
Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act.

[[Page H8758]]

  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the armed services, I know how important 
it is to protect the families of those who serve when tragedy strikes. 
That is why I was proud to join Representative Harder to introduce this 
legislation, which will allow the spouses and dependents of 
servicemembers who are killed or catastrophically injured in the line 
of duty to terminate their phone, internet, and TV contracts without 
penalty.
  Last year, the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 passed 
the House with overwhelming support. That legislation included a number 
of changes to existing law to protect our servicemembers and our Gold 
Star families.
  However, due to a drafting error, the bill only allowed 
servicemembers, not their spouses and dependents, to end their phone, 
internet, and TV contracts without penalty. This bill corrects that 
error and ensures that grieving families are able to terminate 
contracts, giving them the freedom to relocate based on the needs of 
their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for 
advancing this legislation to the floor, and I urge all Members to 
support this bill.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, this is commonsense legislation--I talk 
about this a lot when I go home--about a grieving spouse, a husband or 
wife, who has lost a family member in combat in service to our country. 
I saw many of those this past weekend, as many of us did, as we 
attended veterans events.

  I can't think of anything worse than being a spouse who is in a city 
that is unfamiliar to them, away from family, and to have these 
contractual obligations through our catastrophically injured veteran or 
a deceased veteran.
  It is the right thing to do. Everywhere I go and talk about this 
throughout the country, our fellow Americans want this done.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this much-
needed legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I agree with my friend and colleague from Tennessee, 
Ranking Member Roe. This is commonsense legislation. We should not 
compound the suffering of a family, whether they are caretakers or 
grieving, with the complications that they may not be aware of, which 
are these continuing contractual agreements for cable, internet, or 
other types of contractual agreements of the sort. This bill addresses 
a way for families to easily terminate these contracts.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 
4356, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4356, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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