An improved consumer protection bill for Washington State servicemembers has passed the Legislature and is on Gov. Jay Inslee's desk for his signature.

Rep. Christine Kilduff (D-University Place) sponsored House Bill (HB) 1056. Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn) sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 6017. Both bills provide the same legislation and met no opposition in the Legislature.

"This is important legislation," explained Kilduff during a telephone interview. "It expands the meaning of the word ‘servicemember' and adds more consumer protections."

Both the House and Senate bills are in response to Attorney General Bob Ferguson's request for legislation to better protect and support military consumers.

"This legislation closes a gap in the law, ensuring military consumers don't get stuck with contracts they can't use because they are deployed or ordered to relocate," Ferguson said in a press release.

HB 1056 builds on the attorney general's successful 2014 legislation that created a state version of the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The SCRA helps servicemembers and their dependents whose financial and legal obligations may be affected by active military duty.

In sum, the SCRA applies to Washington State residents who are members of the National Guard or a military Reserve component and who are called to active-duty for a period of more than 30 days.

Kilduff's HB 1056 expands the definition of servicemembers to include active-duty members who are either stationed in, or a resident of, Washington State.  

It also prevents military consumers from being saddled with contracts they can't use when called to active-duty or ordered to relocate to another base and/or state.

A number of states have enacted expanded consumer protections, to include Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, New York and Oregon.

"As part of my research on laws that protect servicemembers, I found that Oregon had passed legislation that included all servicemembers," explained Kilduff. "I thought ‘This will work for us' and began to work on it in 2017. This legislation works nicely with what the attorney general has sought in order to improve military consumer protection."

Included in HB 1056 are specific provisions concerning Internet services, television subscription services, satellite radio services and gym memberships.

"Soldiers and their families stand ready to deploy across the country and around the world to defend our freedoms," Kilduff said. "They should be able to move on without having to face contract termination penalties and fees ... and this consumer protection legislation eliminates burdensome and unfair costs for military families."

Gov. Inslee is expected to sign the bill.