2023 California Code › Military and Veterans Code - MVC › DIVISION 2 - THE MILITARY FORCES OF THE STATE › PART 1 - THE STATE MILITIA › CHAPTER 7.5 - Protections › Section 401.

401. (a) Application by a service member for, or receipt by a service member of, a stay, postponement, or suspension pursuant to this chapter in the payment of any tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation or liability of that person shall not itself, without regard to other considerations, provide the basis for any of the following:
(1) A determination by any lender or other person that the service member is unable to pay any civil obligation or liability in accordance with its terms.
(2) With respect to a credit transaction between a creditor and the service member, any of the following:
(A) A denial or revocation of credit by the creditor.
(B) A change by the creditor in the terms of an existing credit arrangement.
(C) A refusal by the creditor to grant credit to the service member in substantially the amount or on substantially the terms requested.
(3) An adverse report relating to the creditworthiness of the service member by or to any person or entity engaged in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information.
(4) A refusal by an insurer to insure the service member.
(5) An annotation in a service member’s record by a creditor or a person engaged in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information identifying the service member as a member of the active militia, as defined in Section 120, or an active or reserve component of the Armed Forces.
(b) A person shall not, in connection with the collection of any obligation, including any debt or payment, falsely claim to be a member or civilian employee of the Armed Forces, a component of the active militia, as defined in Section 120, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, or the Military Department, or identify themselves through the use of any military rank, rating, or title.
(c) A person shall not, in connection with the collection of any obligation, including any debt or payment, from a member of the active militia, as defined in Section 120, or a member of an active or reserve component of the Armed Forces, contact the member’s military unit or chain of command without the written consent of the member given after the obligation becomes due and payable.
(d) A person shall not, in connection with any transaction or any sale of goods or services, electronically access a Common Access Card (CAC) issued to a service member, place or require the placement of such a CAC in a smart card reader, request or request entry of the personal identification number (PIN) associated with such a CAC, or require a service member to log in to any Department of Defense or, in the case of a member of the Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security computer system. A transaction or sale entered into in violation of this subdivision is void.
(e) (1) A person shall not condition the receipt of a military or veteran discount, in any form, on the waiver by a recipient of the discount of any right the person has under state or federal law. Any such waiver is void.
(2) Any other waiver of a right provided to service members, former service members, or their dependents by this code is void.
(f) Any person violating any provision of this section is liable for actual damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs incurred by the injured party.
(g) Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punishable by imprisonment not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 620, Sec. 4. (SB 1311) Effective January 1, 2023.)