Justice for Servicemembers and Veterans Act of 2017
Latest action · Mar 15, 2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 15, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Justice for Servicemembers and Veterans Act of 2017
This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate an action for relief in a service member's employment or reemployment rights action with respect to: (1) a private or state employer, or (2) a state or private employer that is engaged in a pattern or practice to infringe upon such rights.
The bill provides that: (1) a person may bring an action against a state, state instrumentality, or state officer or employee acting in his or her official capacity in U.S. district court or state court (currently, only in state court), and (2) the state employer shall not be immune from such action under the Eleventh Amendment or under any other doctrine of sovereign immunity.
No such state, instrumentality, officer, or employee that receives or uses federal financial assistance for a program or activity shall be immune under the Eleventh Amendment or under any other doctrine of sovereign immunity from suit in federal or state court for any employment rights violation related to such program or activity.
The bill expands judicial venues for an action against a private employer.
DOJ may issue civil investigative demands in the enforcement of employment and reemployment rights of members of uniformed services with respect to states and private employers.
Service-related disability coverage is extended.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended to revise protective provisions for service members regarding: (1) default judgments, including the requirement that a court shall not enter a judgment until it appoints an attorney for the defendant; (2) termination of residential and motor vehicle leases upon relocation; (3) DOJ issuance of civil investigative demands; and (4) vacating or setting aside judgments.
The bill provides for the portability of professional licenses of service members and their spouses who are relocated under military orders.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 15, 2017 to Oct 31, 2017; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Al Franken | Original | Mar 15, 2017 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Mar 15, 2017 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Mar 15, 2017 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Mar 15, 2017 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Oct 31, 2017 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Mar 15, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 15, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Mar 15, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2631 | Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2017 | Related bill | Jun 29, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the enforcement of employment and reemployment rights of members of the uniformed services, to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to improve the protection of members of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Justice for Servicemembers and Veterans Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative remedies
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Civil actions and liability
- Disability and paralysis
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Evidence and witnesses
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Housing finance and home ownership
- Interest, dividends, interest rates
- Jurisdiction and venue
- Lawyers and legal services
- Lease and rental services
- Licensing and registrations
- Merit Systems Protection Board
- Military personnel and dependents
- Motor vehicles
- National Guard and reserves
- Separation, divorce, custody, support
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 15, 2017Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
