Federal Employee Financial Protection Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9828 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9828

  To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit certain adverse
  information related to late or missed payments during a Government
   shutdown by a furloughed or unpaid Government employee from being
         included in consumer reports, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2026

  Mr. Alford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit certain adverse
  information related to late or missed payments during a Government
   shutdown by a furloughed or unpaid Government employee from being
         included in consumer reports, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Employee Financial
Protection Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF CREDIT REPORTING.

    (a) In General.--Section 605 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15
U.S.C. 1681c) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Government Shutdowns.--
            ``(1) In general.--A consumer reporting agency may not make
        any consumer report containing an adverse item of information
        related to a late payment or nonpayment on an account of a
        covered employee that occurred during a covered period.
            ``(2) Treatment of certain payments.--For purposes of
        making any consumer report, a consumer reporting agency shall
        treat any late payment or nonpayment described in paragraph (1)
        as if the consumer had made the payment.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered employee.--The term `covered
                employee' means any employee of the Federal Government
                who is furloughed or required to work without pay
                during a lapse in appropriations.
                    ``(B) Covered period.--The term `covered period'
                means any period during which there is a lapse in
                appropriations resulting in delayed compensation to a
                covered employee.''.
    (b) Rulemaking.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial
Protection shall issue rules to carry out the amendment made by this
section.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING PRIVATE LENDERS.

    It is the sense of Congress that private lenders should--
            (1) provide temporary forbearance or payment flexibility to
        covered employees (as defined in section 605(i)(3) of the Fair
        Credit Reporting Act);
            (2) waive late fees and penalties incurred during the
        covered period (as defined in such section 605(i)(3)); and
            (3) refrain from furnishing adverse credit information
        related to late payments or nonpayments during the covered
        period.
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