Protecting Veterans From Predatory Home Lending

Earlier this month, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) that would protect veterans from targeted predatory home loan practices. The VA home loan program was designed to give veterans and servicemembers the opportunity to become homeowners as they raise their families. It has proven to be a great success, but unfortunately, a few bad actors are taking advantage of the program. This legislation would require home-lenders to prove that veterans and servicemembers will benefit when they refinance their mortgage.

Click HERE to learn more about the legislation.

"A Senate bill would prevent homeowners with VA-backed loans from refinancing their deals within six months of signing them, one of multiple ways its authors hope to limit loan “churning” and prevent veterans from succumbing to loan scams.

"Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced the Protecting Veterans from Predatory Lending Act of 2018 on Thursday alongside 10 co-sponsors, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats."

Preventing Lower-Income Military Retirees from Losing Retirement Benefits

Last October, I wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging them to reconsider a decision that would have caused lower-income military retirees to lose federal retirement benefits. I received a letter from Acting IRS Commissioner David J. Kautter last week informing me that the agency had re-analyzed its data and would change its decision. This reversal will ensure our military retirees who have dedicated their lives to protecting our country are not subject to unfair standards when receiving the benefits they deserve.

 

"A year into a program that allows the Internal Revenue Service to take 15 percent of a military retiree’s pay to cover back taxes, the agency will apply a formula to be sure that garnishment won’t cause economic hardship.

"The move comes in response to concerns raised by Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Acting IRS commissioner David Kautter informed the senators of the change in a Jan. 12. letter.

"The Federal Payment Levy Program lets the IRS garnish the pay of federal employees and retirees when those taxpayers neglect or refuse to pay a balance due on taxes, after a process that includes sending the taxpayer a series of notices."

Easing CDL Requirements for Veterans 

Bipartisan legislation I co-introduced that streamlines and eases the burden on the process whereby active-duty military, reservists and veterans apply for their commercial driver’s license was recently signed into law. This legislation will allow those individuals to apply the experience they gained serving our nation in a civilian capacity and not force them to go through a duplicative credentialing process to obtain a commercial driver’s license.

Contact My Office

Thank you for reading my e-newsletter, I will continue to work hard to represent all North Carolinians in the Senate and deliver results. If you are a veteran or you know a veteran who is having trouble with the VA or any federal agency, please don't hesitate to contact my office. My office has helped thousands of veterans over the past three years dealing with the VA, from scheduling timely appointments to ensuring they are receiving the benefits they need and deserve. The constant refrain we hear from them is that they simply wish they knew about the constituent services we offer sooner.

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All the best,