On June 28, U.S. Sens. Martha McSally [R], Kyrsten Sinema [D], Rob Portman [R-Ohio], Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass.], Thom Tillis [R-NC], Jon Tester [D-Mont.], Deb Fischer [R-Neb.], Marsha Blackburn [R-Tenn.] and Todd Young [R-Ind.] announced the United States Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Gold Star Spouses and Spouses of Injured Servicemembers Leasing Relief Expansion Act as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senators introduced the bill in April. 

“It is great to see Republicans and Democrats come together to stand for Gold Star families,” McSally said. “Supporting families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice is the right thing to do and fixing this unintentional glitch is the least we could do.”  “Military families are middle class families who make incredible sacrifices in service to our country. We must do our part to make sure they have the resources and support they need,” Warren said. “I’m thankful that the Senate has chosen to advance our bipartisan legislation to strengthen financial protections for Gold Star spouses and spouses of injured service members.” 

Military families may relocate frequently or suddenly as the result of a service member’s military orders, and these moves often involve entering into leases for a house, apartment or other dwelling or an automobile. If a service member dies or sustains a catastrophic injury or illness during military service, his or her spouse may be forced to pay off the remainder of that residential or automobile lease or face a penalty for breaking the lease. 

The bipartisan Gold Star Spouses and Spouses of Injured Service members Leasing Relief Expansion Act amends the Service members Civil Relief Act to expand existing financial protections for military families’ resi­dential and car leases in the following ways: 

• Allows the spouse of a service member who died while in military service to terminate a motor vehicle lease during the one-year period beginning on the date of the death of the service member, if that service member died while in military service or while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training. 

• Allows the spouse of a service member who sustained a catastrophic injury or illness to terminate a resi­dential lease and a motor vehicle lease during the one-year period beginning on the date of the injury or illness of the service member, if that service member sustained the injury or illness while in military service or while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty or inactive-duty training.