Assemblymember Irwin and Attorney General Becerra Announce New Law to Strengthen California’s Protections for Service Members

SACRAMENTO – AB 3212 authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) will aim to expand consumer protections to active duty personnel stationed in the state. Attorney General Becerra sponsored the bill and worked closely with Assemblymember Irwin to shepherd it through the Legislature.

This bill extends the length of time that service members are protected against foreclosure, eviction, repossession, and default judgments. It also extends interest rate protections for student loans and clarifies that students in the National Guard and Reserve have a right to academic leave when they are called to active duty.  The bill updates current law to close loopholes that have been used to take advantage of service members, and extends the protections of California law to cover all service members in California. Prior to this new law, some protections only applied to members of the Guard and Reserve who are called to active duty.

“We ask members of the armed forces to take great personal risk on our behalf, but the demands of military service go beyond the dangers of the battlefield,” said Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin.   “A life in the military also means moving around frequently, moving your kids from school to school, updating addresses, and suddenly being called away to places where you may have uncertain access to the internet, or phones, or personal records. Because of this, we’ve long recognized the need to provide service members with specific protections under the law to insulate them from predatory business practices, unscrupulous creditors and the risk of falling into financial distress that comes with a life that demands so much. This bill will strengthen the protections California provides to those who protect us.”

“If you put yourself in harm’s way to defend our freedoms, you more than deserve your protections as a consumer,” said Attorney General Becerra. “I am proud to have worked with Assemblymember Irwin to see Assembly Bill 3212 become law. This is another way we show all of our men and women in uniform that we appreciate their service and have their backs. My office collaborated with the military community to get this bill across the finish line. We won’t stop working to protect service members and military families.”

— Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin represents California’s 44th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Camarillo, Casa Conejo, Channel Islands Beach, El Rio, Lak e Sherwood, Moorpark, Oak Park, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Rosa Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village.

Assemblymember Irwin’s website: http://asmdc.org/irwin