Rule Expanding Military Lending Act Protections In Limbo

Ballard Spahr LLP
Contact

The Department of Defense's (DoD) proposed rule to revise and expand the coverage of its rule implementing the Military Lending Act (MLA) may be put on hold.

The House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee for Military Personnel recently released a proposal for the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that includes a provision requiring the DoD to provide a report answering questions concerning whether the proposed expansion (described in our prior legal alert here), is necessary, and further, whether the DoD is prepared to provide reliable data to lenders concerning a borrower's military status.

While commending the DoD's efforts to protect service members against predatory lending practices, the Subcommittee is concerned with the current rulemaking and whether it is justified from a military-readiness perspective. Accordingly, its draft NDAA directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a report by March 1, 2016, to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives concerning any rulemaking regarding the MLA. The proposed report is to include:

  • a summary of comments on the proposed DoD rule;
  • an assessment of the impact on military readiness, if any, resulting from service member access to financial products, including payday loans, vehicle title loans, bank deposit advances, and installment loans, since the implementation of the MLA in 2007; and
  • an assessment of the adequacy of staffing levels at the Defense Manpower Data Center and the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of its database.

The draft NDAA, which the Subcommittee marked up and passed without amendment April 23, would prohibit any final rule regarding the MLA from taking effect until 60 days after the Secretary of Defense transmits the report.

A House vote on the NDAA is currently scheduled for May 15 and a full House Armed Services Committee markup scheduled for April 29. 

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Attorney Advertising.

© Ballard Spahr LLP

Written by:

Ballard Spahr LLP
Contact
more
less

PUBLISH YOUR CONTENT ON JD SUPRA NOW

  • Increased visibility
  • Actionable analytics
  • Ongoing guidance

Ballard Spahr LLP on:

Reporters on Deadline

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
Custom Email Digest
- hide
- hide