To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to make certain technical corrections, and for other purposes.

Summary: Clarifications to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to state that formal pleadings in a civil action shall not be considered the kind of communication (initial or otherwise) required for a validation of debt notice.

Prescribes an alternative version of the initial communication debt collectors are required to give consumers, incorporating the three statements currently specified.

States that collection activities and communications may continue during the 30 days following a debt collector's initial notice to the debtor.

States that, if the consumer's attorney at law fails to respond to a communication from a debt collector within 30 days (currently, a reasonable period of time) after receiving a communication from the collector, such collector may communicate directly with the consumer.

Limits to one the number of additional communications a debt collector may make to a consumer after the consumer has notified the collector in writing that the consumer refuses to pay the debt or wishes the collector to cease further communication. Limits the content of any such additional communication to one of the three purposes already specified by the Act.

Revises notice of debt guidelines to require one of the debt collector's mandatory statements to specify that a consumer's dispute of the validity of a debt be submitted in writing in order to preclude an assumption by the collector that the debt is valid.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clarifications to the Fair Debt 
Collection Practices Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATING REQUIREMENT FOR THE ``VALIDATION NOTICE'' IN FORMAL 
              PLEADINGS.

    Section 809 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 
1692g) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Formal Pleadings Excluded.--Communications which are formal 
pleadings in a civil action shall not be considered communications for 
purposes of this title.''

SEC. 3. CODIFICATION OF THE CONSUMER VALIDATION NOTICE.

    Section 809 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 
1692g) is amended--
            (1) in the portion of subsection (a) that precedes 
        paragraph (1), by inserting ``a written notice described in 
        subsection (e) or'' before ``a written notice''; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) (as added by section 
        2 of this Act) the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Alternative Version of Notice.--A notice is described in this 
subsection for purposes of subsection (a) if the notice contains--
            ``(1) the amount of the debt;
            ``(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed; 
        and
            ``(3) a statement containing the following: `Unless you 
        notify this office within 30 days after receiving this notice 
        that you dispute the validity of this debt or any portion 
        thereof, this office will assume this debt is valid. If you 
        notify this office in writing within 30 days from receiving 
        this notice that you dispute the validity of this debt or any 
        portion thereof, this office will obtain verification of the 
        debt or obtain a copy of a judgment and provide you with a copy 
        of such judgment or verification. If you request of this office 
        in writing within 30 days after receiving this notice this 
        office will provide you with the name and address of the 
        original creditor, if different from the current creditor.'''.

SEC. 4. CLARIFYING RIGHT TO COLLECT WITHIN THE FIRST 30 DAYS.

    Section 809(b) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 
1692g(b)) is amended by striking ``If the consumer'' and inserting 
``Collection activities and communications may continue during the 
thirty-day period. However, if the consumer''.

SEC. 5. CLARIFYING THE REFERENCE TO ``ATTORNEY'' AND ``REASONABLE 
              TIME''.

    The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is amended--
            (1) in section 804(6) (15 U.S.C. 1692b(6))--
                    (A) by striking ``an attorney'' and inserting ``an 
                attorney at law''; and
                    (B) by striking ``a reasonable period of time'' and 
                inserting ``30 days''; and
            (2) in section 805(a)(2) (15 U.S.C. 1692c(a)(2))--
                    (A) by striking ``an attorney'' and inserting ``an 
                attorney at law''; and
                    (B) by striking ``a reasonable period of time'' and 
                inserting ``30 days''.

SEC. 6. CEASING COMMUNICATIONS.

    Subsection (c) of section 805 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices 
Act (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Ceasing Communication.--
            ``(1) In general.--If a consumer notifies a debt collector 
        in writing that the consumer refuses to pay a debt or that the 
        consumer wishes the debt collector to cease further 
        communication with the consumer, the debt collector shall not 
        communicate further with the consumer with respect to such 
        debt, except for one additional communication which may be made 
        by the debt collector for any of the following purposes 
        (however many may apply):
                    ``(A) To advise the consumer that the debt 
                collector's further efforts are being terminated.
                    ``(B) To notify the consumer that the debt 
                collector or creditor may invoke specified remedies 
                which are ordinarily invoked by such debt collector or 
                creditor.
                    ``(C) Where applicable, to notify the consumer that 
                the debt collector or creditor intends to invoke a 
                specified remedy.
            ``(2) Effective date of notice.--If a notice referred to in 
        paragraph (1) from a consumer is made by mail, notification 
        shall be complete upon receipt.''.

SEC. 7. THE ``BRADY AMENDMENT''.

    Section 807(8) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 
Section 1692e(8)) is amended by striking ``disputed debt'' and 
inserting ``debt which has been disputed by the consumer in writing''.

SEC. 8. VALIDATION OF DEBTS.

    Section 809(a)(3) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 
U.S.C. 1692g(a)(3)) is amended by inserting ``in writing,'' after ``any 
portion thereof,''.