S. 1579: SCRA Enhancement and Improvement Act of 2013

113th Congress · introduced 2013-10-28 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-280.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-10-28 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-280. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

SCRA Enhancement and Improvement Act of 2013

Plain summary

SCRA Enhancement and Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to: extend the period during which a contract for the purchase of real or personal property or the lease or bailment of such property entered into by a member of the uniformed services (servicemember) may not be rescinded or terminated for a breach to one year after such member's period of military service; change the period during which an action to enforce a mortgage, trust deed, or other security against a servicemember is covered by a stay of proceedings or adjustment of obligation to the period in which such action is pending (instead of the period in which such action is filed); prohibit the accrual of a mortgage prepayment penalty incurred by a servicemember during military service; delay the expiration of a license issued by a state or local licensing authority to a servicemember, or a continuing education requirement to maintain such a license, to 180 days after such servicemember is no longer eligible for hostile fire or imminent danger special pay; expand protections against collection of taxes owned by a servicemember with respect to personal property or real property occupied for dwelling, professional, trade, business, or agricultural purposes; prohibit the denial of credit to a servicemember solely by reason of entitlement to protections under SCRA; expand due diligence requirements for determining whether an individual is a servicemember prior to taking a default judgment against such individual; extend the protections of SCRA to servicemembers who are personally liable as a guarantor or co-maker of a mortgage, trust deed, or other security in the nature of a mortgage; permit the use of arbitration to settle a dispute under SCRA; authorize the Attorney General to issue a civil investigate demand for documents relating to an investigation under SCRA prior to initiating a civil action for violations of such Act; and double the amount of civil penalties for a first violation of SCRA and for subsequent violations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SCRA Enhancement and Improvement Act of 2013

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] reported raising $26.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113s1579.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>

Record fed-us-cong113-s1579 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113