A bill to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend lease protections for servicemembers under stop movement orders in response to a local, national, or global emergency, and for other purposes.
Public Law 116-158 · S. 3637 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 14, 2020 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Cosponsors (16): Sen. Jerry Moran, Sen. Marsha Blackburn,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This bill provides certain lease protections for service members under stop movement orders in response to a local, national, or global emergency.
A service member may terminate a lease for premises or for a motor vehicle, and may not be charged an early termination fee for doing so, if the service member (1) enters into the lease upon receipt of certain military orders for permanent change of station, deployment with a military unit, or individual support of military operations; and (2) subsequently receives, in response to a local, national, or global emergency, a stop movement order for an indefinite period or at least 30 days.
For the bill to apply in the case of a lease for premises, the stop movement order must prevent the service member or the service member's dependents from occupying the premises.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6767Identical bill
To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide for an extension of lease protections for servicemembers under stop movement orders in response to a local, national, or global emergency.
H.R. 6800Related bill
The Heroes Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Aug 14, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-158.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 4, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 20, 2020FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- Jun 15, 2020FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 10, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- May 6, 2020CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.