Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act
Public Law 116-285 · H.R. 4356 · 116th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 5, 2021 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA-10)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Brad Wenstrup
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- 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.
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act
This bill revises the conditions allowing a service member to terminate a commercial mobile, telephone exchange, internet access, or multichannel video programming service contract at any time after the date the service member receives military orders to relocate for at least 90 days to a location that does not support such contract. It treats as individuals covered, and therefore allowed to terminate such a contract (1) a spouse or dependent of a service member who dies while in military service or a member of the reserve components performing full-time or active reserve duty or inactive-duty training; (2) a spouse or dependent of a service member who incurs a catastrophic injury or illness, if the member incurs the injury or illness while in military service or performing such duty; and (3) a member of the reserve components performing such duty.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred toSubcommittee: Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
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. 6800Related bill
The Heroes Act
S. 2963Related bill
Protecting Families of Fallen Servicemembers Act of 2019
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. 18 actions.
- Jan 5, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-285.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 24, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 16, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 15, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 13, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Nov 12, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4356.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 29, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Discharged.
- Oct 2, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
- Sep 17, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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.