Senator Reverend Warnock Urges Inclusion of Bipartisan Provisions Benefiting Georgia Servicemembers, Military Families in Final Defense Bill

In letters to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 (NDAA) conference committee, Senator Reverend Warnock urged lawmakers to include two Warnock-sponsored provisions passed by the Senate that bolster benefits of surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers and protect servicemembers from debt collector harassment

The Senator's bipartisan Love Lives On Act provision would restore surviving spouses' access to military bases and commissaries for those who lost access due to remarriage

The Senator's bipartisanFair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Actprovision would protect servicemembers from manipulative debt collector tactics, including threats of rank reduction

Senator Warnock's bipartisan provisions were included in the Senate's version of the NDAA, which passed this summer 89-11

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) urged the committee negotiating final legislative text for the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to include his Senate-passed, bipartisan provisions championing servicemembers, veterans, and military families in Georgia and across the country. In two separate letters to the NDAA conference committee, Senator Warnock urged lawmakers on the conference committee to adopt his bipartisan provisions from his Loves Lives On Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act and ensure they are included in the legislation's final text. The Senate previously adopted both of Senator Warnock's bipartisan provisions in its version of the NDAA; the NDAA conference committee must now resolve differences in the texts of both chamber's bills.

Senator Warnock's Love Lives On provision would expand benefits for surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers, restoring their access to military bases, commissaries, and retail stores for those who lost access due to remarriage-a vital privilege that surviving spouses deserve and that helps ensure they can retain their connection to the military community of which they have long been a part. These communities are still a home for many surviving spouses, and many rely on commissaries to provide for them and their families and want to have a continuity of access for themselves and their children after the loss of their spouse. Some surviving spouses also require access to military installations to transport their children, who retain access to many services and benefits on installations and have friends who still live on post.

"The military community rightly emphasizes to surviving spouses that they will always be part of the broader military family and a welcome part of the military community after the death of their loved one in service to our country," wrote Senator Reverend Warnock. "It is time Congress restored these privileges to fulfill that promise and ensure that surviving spouses can maintain their close connection to the military communities for which they have sacrificed so much."

Senator Warnock, who chairs the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, also sent a letter in support of a bipartisan provision from his Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act including in the Senate NDAA bill, which would put restrictions on the types of communications debt collectors are allowed to have when interacting with servicemembers, including prohibiting debt collectors from making threats of rank reduction, revocation of security clearance, or military prosecution. Servicemembers report being harassed by debt collectors at a higher rate than the civilian population, and notably, many of the threats debt collectors make to servicemembers regarding their military service are beyond their purview and are simply used to pressure and harass servicemembers. Forty percent of complaints filed by servicemembers with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are about debt collection, and debt collection is the third most common source of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from servicemembers, their dependents, military retirees, and veterans. Senator Warnock's provision would help alleviate servicemembers' stress caused by aggressive debt collection tactics, and help Georgians and Americans in uniform focus on accomplishing their missions and caring for their families.

"The vast majority of Congress agrees that this bipartisan provision should remain in the final bill. That is why this provision passed by a vote of 95-2 on the Senate floor, with the House passing similar provisions twice under suspension of the rules and in two previous House-passed NDAAs," wrote Senator Warnock. "Retaining this provision sends a powerful message of support to our servicemembers and their families."

Once the House and Senate conferees finish negotiating the final language of the NDAA, the committee will send the full bill to both chambers of Congress for a final vote before sending it to the President's desk to sign into law.

Read the full text of both letters below. View the surviving spouse's benefits letter HERE. View the servicemembers debt collection harassment letter HERE.

Letter on Access to Commissary and Exchange Privileges for Remarried Spouses

October 30, 2023

The Honorable Mike Rogers Chairman
House Armed Services Committee
2216 Rayburn Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Jack Reed Chairman
Senate Armed Services Committee
228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Adam Smith
Ranking Member
House Armed Services Committee
2216 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Roger Wicker Ranking Member
Senate Armed Services Committee
205 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairmen Reed and Rogers and Ranking Members Wicker and Smith:

As the House and Senate conferees negotiate the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we urge you to retain section 1049 of the Senate-passed NDAA (S. 2226), which would extend installation and commissary exchange access for surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers who choose to remarry. This provision, a component of the bipartisan Love Lives On Act (S. 1266), would restore a vital privilege that our surviving spouses deserve and ensures they can retain their connection to the military community they have long been a part of, irrespective of whether they remarry after the death of their military spouse.

Many surviving military spouses lost their loved ones due to injuries or illnesses related to their military member's service or while deployed in combat operations. Under current law, certain benefits that these surviving spouses have been granted from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by virtue of their fallen loved one's service are terminated if they remarry. Those benefits include access to military installations and commissaries. However, many surviving spouses call these communities home, rely on commissaries to provide for them and their families, and want to have a continuity of access for themselves and their children after the loss of their spouse. Some even require access to installations to transport their children, who retain access to many services and benefits on installations and have friends who still live on post. It is unconscionable that we should deny these surviving spouses these privileges, opportunities, and support systems because they are lucky enough to find love again following the untimely loss of their military spouse.

That is why we urge conferees to retain the bipartisan provisions contained in Sec. 1049 that would restore installation and commissary access to surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers who choose to remarry. This would allow them to retain access to bases, commissaries, and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facilities to the same degree that similarly eligible but single surviving spouses have. This provision does not create a new privilege for these families but restores one that has been unfairly and unnecessarily taken from them. Additionally, the Senate amendment also included language to give DOD sufficient time to implement these changes properly.

This provision enjoys broad bipartisan and bicameral support, which is why our amendment passed by unanimous consent on the Senate floor and was also included as section 1049 in the House-passed version of H.R. 2670. The military community rightly emphasizes to surviving spouses that they will always be part of the broader military family and a welcome part of the military community after the death of their loved one in service to our country. It is time Congress restored these privileges to fulfill that promise and ensure that surviving spouses can maintain their close connection to the military communities for which they have sacrificed so much.

We commend you on your leadership and commitment to our fallen servicemembers and their families, and urge you to preserve this provision in the final FY 2024 NDAA conference agreement.

Letter on Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act

October 30, 2023

The Honorable Jack Reed Chairman
Senate Armed Services Committee
228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Mike Rogers Chairman
House Armed Services Committee
2216 Rayburn Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Roger Wicker Ranking Member
Senate Armed Services Committee
205 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Adam Smith Ranking Member
House Armed Services Committee
2216 Rayburn Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Rogers, Chairman Reed, Ranking Member Smith and Ranking Member Wicker:

As the House and Senate conferees negotiate the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I strongly urge you to retain sections 11001, 11002, and 11003 of the Senate-passed NDAA (S. 2226), also known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act, which will protect servicemembers and recent Veterans from manipulative debt collector communications. These provisions are a commonsense protection against a quality- of-life issue for servicemembers who should not have their service weaponized against them by debt collectors and would help provide additional peace of mind for servicemembers who already perform stressful jobs.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is designed to protect servicemembers from debt collectors who use abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices. Servicemembers and veterans, however, report being harassed by debt collectors to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at a higher rate than the civilian population. Forty percent of complaints filed by servicemembers with the CFPB are about debt collection, and debt collection is the third most common source of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from servicemembers, their dependents, military retirees, and veterans.

That is why I urge conferees to retain the bipartisan provisions contained in Sec. 11001-11003 that would protect our nation's servicemembers from unscrupulous debt collectors. To accomplish this, Sec. 11002 would restrict some of the communications debt collectors are allowed to have when interacting with members of our military. The changes would prohibit debt collectors from making threats of rank reduction, revocation of security clearance, or prosecution under the UCMJ. These protections would also extend to those leaving service for one year. This provision will prohibit debt collection practices that are manipulative, cannot be acted on by unscrupulous debt collectors, and serve only to distract our servicemembers from focusing on accomplishing their missions and caring for their families. These provisions would also ensure that servicemembers are still afforded timely delivery of debt-related information through a Government Accountability Office study.

The vast majority of Congress agrees that this bipartisan provision should remain in the final bill. That is why this provision passed by a vote of 95-2 on the Senate floor, with the House passing similar provisions twice under suspension of the rules and in two previous House-passed NDAAs. Retaining this provision sends a powerful message of support to our servicemembers and their families.

I commend you all on your leadership and commitment to our servicemembers, and I urge you to preserve this provision in the final FY 2024 NDAA conference agreement.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.