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The House Armed Services Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act in a 60-2 vote early Thursday morning, following action that stripped the bill of a provision delaying implementation of proposed Military Lending Act rule changes for study.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Wednesday introduced an amendment removing the study and delay from the legislation; her amendment was passed by a 32-30 vote.

Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, included the proposed study in the original legislation released on Monday. The study would have to show the impact on troop readiness from access to and use of various financial products, including payday loans and installment loans. It would address the staffing, funding and integrity of the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) database, which all creditors would be required to use to check the potential active-duty military status of virtually every person submitting a credit application under the proposed rule changes.

DoD would have been barred from implementing this or undertaking related rulemaking for 60 days following Congress' receipt of the report.

The proposed rule was issued last year, and NAFCU lodged serious concerns about its impact on credit unions and credit union members. The association has been engaged with DoD rule writers throughout the rulemaking process in an effort to make it more amenable to credit unions.