Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to introduce the Servicemembers Rights Enforcement Improvement Act of 2012.

I remain deeply committed to protecting our servicemembers and veterans. I was concerned, last year, when banks improperly overcharged and foreclosed upon deployed servicemembers in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Failure to comply with the protections provided to our servicemembers is unacceptable.

Our men and women in uniform deserve better than this, and I appreciate the President's and the Attorney General's leadership and commitment to enforcing these important protections. This bill, which includes a significant number of proposals provided to the Congress by the Department of Justice, would further strengthen the Department's ability to enforce these laws on behalf of servicemembers and veterans.

The bill I am introducing today would improve the Department of Justice's ability to enforce the protections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by giving the Attorney General limited authority to issue civil investigative demands, which would allow the Attorney General to take a more proactive approach to investigating allegations of Servicemembers Civil Relief Act violations. This bill would strengthen the protections that prevent judgements against a servicemember when they cannot appear in court because of military service. Finally, it would clarify that servicemembers may bring a private right of action to enforce their rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

I also remain deeply concerned about veteran employment. The number of unemployed veterans remains unacceptably high. Last year, significant provisions of a bill I introduced, the Hiring Heroes Act, were signed into law as the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. This legislation was a good first step in combatting the high rate of unemployment among our nation's veterans. But we must do more. We must also ensure

that the laws designed to protect the employment rights of our servicemembers during periods of service are equally strong.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly referred to as USSERA, protects servicemembers' employment rights during a period of military service. It also prohibits employer discrimination based on military service or obligation. This legislation would strengthen the ability of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel to enforce these valuable protections.

Specifically, this bill would grant the Attorney General the authority to investigate and file suit to challenge a pattern or practice in violation of USERRA and would grant the Attorney General limited authority to issue civil investigative demands. It will also provide the Office of Special Counsel with subpoena authority in USERRA investigations. These enhancements will ensure that when our National Guard and Reserve members deploy, they do so knowing their jobs are secure.

It is vital that the Federal departments and agencies charged with protecting our service members have the tools necessary to enforce the protections provided to them. The legislation I am introducing today would do just that.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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