Sec. 2 (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 502) . The purpose of the Act is to provide for,strengthen, andexpedite the national defense through protection to servicemembers, to enable them to "devote theirentire energy to the defense needs of the Nation." The SCRA protects servicemembers bytemporarily suspending certain judicial and administrative proceedings and transactions that mayadversely affect their civil rights during their military service. Sec. 101 (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 511). This section supplies definitions for terms that are used throughout the Act. For the purposes of the SCRA, the following definitions apply: 'Servicemember'. Persons covered by the SCRA include members of the "uniformed services" found in 10 U.S.C. ï¿½ 101(a)(5), which includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and thecommissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public HealthService. 'Military Service'. The Act defines "military service" to include "active duty" as defined in 10 U.S.C. ï¿½ 101(d)(1), National Guard service as service under a call to active service authorized by the President or theSecretary of Defense for a period more than 30 consecutive days under 32 U.S.C. ï¿½ 502(f) (7) forpurposes of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and supported by Federalfunds, for officers of the Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, "active service" (not further defined), and any period during which a servicememberis absent from duty on account of sickness, wounds, leave, or other lawful case. "Active duty" forarmed services is defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(d)(1) as "full-time duty in the active military service ofthe United States ... [including] full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, whilein the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretaryof the military department concerned." "Active military service" is not further defined in section 101of title 10, U.S. Code, although "active service" is given the meaning "service on active duty orfull-time National Guard duty," in ï¿½ 101(d)(3). Under the prior law the definition of "military service" included language referring to "periods of training or education under the supervision of the United States preliminary to induction intomilitary service." Under the new law, persons on active duty and attending a service school arecovered, while persons attending training prior to entering active duty, such as officer candidates,may not be covered. It is unclear, for example, whether "active military service" under 10 U.S.C.ï¿½ 101(d) covers training as a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (8) or attendance at amilitary academy. (9) 'Period of military service'. A servicemember's "period of military service" begins when he or she enters military service and ends on the date of release from military service or upon death during military service. This newmeaning differs from the previous meaning only in the use of the word "release" rather than"discharge" from military service. In military terminology, a "discharge" can mean a completeseverance from all military status with respect to enlisted personnel, while "release from active duty"means termination of active-duty status and transfer or reversion to reserve status. (10) The phrase isused in the SCRA to determine the length of the availability of certain benefits. The SCRA also usesthe phrase "termination or release from military service" in some provisions, but does not providea definition for "termination." 'Dependent'. The Act defines "dependent" as a servicemember's spouse or child (as defined for purposes of veterans' benefits, in 38 U.S.C. ï¿½ 101 (11) ), or anotherindividual for whom the servicememberprovided more than one half of the support in the 180 days prior to an application for relief underthe Act. This language appears to codify courts' treatment of the term "dependent" as relating tofinancial dependency rather than strict familial relationships, (12) although the formula for determiningwhat portion of support is required appears to be new. (13) 'Court'. Courts obligated to honor the protections of SCRA include any federal or State court or administrative agency, whether or not a court or administrative agency of record. This definition expands the definition of "court" expressly to include administrative agencies of record. 'State'. The Act defines "state" as a commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States and the District of Columbia. 'Secretary Concerned'. The Act defines "Secretary concerned" with respect to a member of the armed forces as having the meaning in 10 U.S.C. ï¿½ 101(a)(9) (14) ; withrespect to commissioned officers of the Public HealthService, the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and with respect to commissioned officers ofthe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary of Commerce. 'Motor Vehicle'. The Act defines "motor vehicle" as a vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads and highways, but does not include a vehicleoperated only on a rail line (as defined in 49 U.S.C. ï¿½ 30102(a)(6)). Sec. 102 (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 512). The SCRA applies everywhere in the United States, includingthe District of Columbia, and in any territory "subject to the jurisdiction of" the United States. Itapplies to any civil judicial or administrative proceeding in any court or agency in any jurisdictionsubject to the Act. However, it does not apply to criminal proceedings. Protection of persons secondarily liable. Sec. 103(a-b) (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 513(a-b)). These subsections extend some protection to persons who share a debt with one or more covered servicemembers or have secondary liability asa "surety, guarantor, endorser, accommodation maker, co-maker, or other person who is or may beprimarily or secondarily subject to the obligation or liability" at issue. If the SCRA provisions areinvoked as to the servicemember, the court has discretion to grant a stay, postponement, orsuspension of the proceedings against such persons, or to set aside or vacate a judgment. Whethera court grants such relief appears to be influenced by equitable considerations, including whether theservicemember is able to appear in court, whether the servicemember's presence is necessary for thedefense, and whether an unjust forfeiture could otherwise result. If the servicemember is onlynominally a party to the suit, as in cases of negligence where the insurance company might beconsidered the "true defendant," the modern trend is to deny a stay. (15) The right to open a defaultjudgment taken against a person in the military service is reserved to that person only and is notavailable to a judgment co-debtor. The Act added the term "co-maker" (16) to the list of persons who may be entitled to a stay in anaction which has been stayed with respect to a servicemember. This effectively codifies courts'interpretations of the previous version of the SCRA. (17) However, it does not explicitly adopt the testsome courts have used to determine whether a stay is appropriate. Criminal bail bond sureties. Sec. 103(c) (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 513(3)). This subsection protects bail bondsmen who are unableto procure the appearance of the principal due to that person's active duty service. In such a case,the court hearing the charge may not enforce the bond during the period of military service of theaccused, and has the discretion to return the bail in its entirety to the bail bondsman in the interestof equity and justice. While some courts have interpreted this subsection to allow for no discretion, (18) others have required sureties to make a further showing that the appearance of the principal was infact prevented due to military service and that the surety made an effort to secure the appearance ofthe principal in court. (19) Waiver of protection. Sec. 103(d) (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 513(d)). Persons who are primarily or secondarily liable on theobligation of a person in military service may waive their benefits, but such a waiver must beexecuted in a separate instrument from that which creates the obligation. Such a waiver ceases tobe valid if the person who executed it subsequently enters active military service or is the dependentof a person who subsequently enters active duty, unless the waiver is executed after the personordered to active duty receives those orders. Citizens serving with the forces of war allies. Sec. 104 (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 514). This section extends the benefits of the SCRA to citizens ofthe United States who serve in the armed forces of allies of the United States in the prosecution ofa war or military action, as long as such service is similar to service in the U.S. armed forces. TheAct eliminated the protection revocation for those who are dishonorably discharged. Notification of benefits. Sec. 105 (50 U.S.C. app. ï¿½ 515).