Sherrill Introduces Bill to Expand Rental Protections for New Jersey’s Service Members

WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Navy veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the Service Member Rental Protection Act, legislation to protect service members from being evicted by a landlord if their lease expires while deployed or away from home on a military assignment. Sherrill’s legislation would help to ensure that service members and their families are not facing homelessness while they are protecting our nation.

“I’m proud to introduce the Service Member Rental Protection Act because the New Jerseyans who make up our armed forces — and their families — should always have a place to call home. I have heard directly from service members who had to coordinate a move back at home while overseas or had their personal belongings removed from their homes while deployed. This is unacceptable. My commonsense bill will help ensure economic stability for the brave men and women who serve in our military — and will strengthen our fighting forces by allowing service members to focus on the mission at hand, rather than worry about where they are going to live when they return home,”said Rep. Sherrill. 

Many service members rent homes during their time in the military. Currently, the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SRCA) allows service members to terminate a lease without penalty in the event they receive orders to change location. However, it does not protect service members from their leases expiring while they are deployed, at a long training exercise, or preparing to do so. This causes undue stress for service members and their families, negatively impacts their quality of life, and hinders military readiness.

The Service Member Rental Protection Act bridges that gap by amending the SRCA to extend expiring leases of deployed service members, and those preparing to deploy within 30 days, until 30 days after their return. Sherrill’s bill would also cover service members who are temporarily at separate locations, including emergency leave, training exercises, military education, and career skills programs.

Rep. Sherrill is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served in the Navy for almost 10 years as a helicopter pilot and Russian policy officer. As a Russian policy officer, she worked on the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy. She now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she serves on the Tactical Air and Land Forces and Readiness Subcommittees.

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