118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5543 

AN ACT 

To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from furnishing consumer reports containing adverse items of information about a 

consumer that resulted from that consumer being unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage 

abroad. 
2 

†S 5543 ES

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Credit for Amer5 ican Hostages Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ADVERSE INFORMATION ABOUT CONSUMERS UN7 LAWFULLY OR WRONGFULLY DETAINED 

8 ABROAD OR HELD HOSTAGE ABROAD. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Fair Credit Reporting Act 

10 (15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 

11 section 605C the following: 

12 ‘‘§ 605D. Adverse information about consumers un13 lawfully or wrongfully detained abroad 

14 or held hostage abroad 

15 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) COVERED CONSUMER.—The term ‘covered 

17 consumer’ means an individual who has been— 

18 ‘‘(A) a United States national unlawfully 

19 or wrongfully detained abroad, as determined 

20 under section 302(a) of the Robert Levinson 

21 Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Ac22 countability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741(a)); or 

23 ‘‘(B) a United States national taken hos24 tage abroad, as determined by the Hostage Re-
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†S 5543 ES

1 covery Fusion Cell established by section 304 

2 that Act (22 U.S.C. 1741b). 

3 ‘‘(2) DETENTION OR HOSTAGE DOCUMENTA4 TION.—The term ‘detention or hostage documenta5 tion’ means documentation that— 

6 ‘‘(A) certifies a consumer is a covered con7 sumer under this section; 

8 ‘‘(B) identifies the time period during 

9 which the covered consumer was unlawfully or 

10 wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage 

11 abroad; and 

12 ‘‘(C) is authenticated by— 

13 ‘‘(i) the Special Presidential Envoy for 

14 Hostage Affairs established by section 303 

15 of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery 

16 and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act 

17 (22 U.S.C. 1741a); or 

18 ‘‘(ii) the Hostage Recovery Fusion 

19 Cell established by section 304 of that Act 

20 (22 U.S.C. 1741b). 

21 ‘‘(b) ADVERSE INFORMATION.—If a consumer report22 ing agency described in section 603(p) is able to authen23 ticate detention or hostage documentation provided by a 

24 covered consumer, the consumer reporting agency may not 

25 furnish a consumer report containing any adverse item of 
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†S 5543 ES

1 information about the covered consumer dating during the 

2 time period the covered consumer was unlawfully or 

3 wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage abroad.’’. 

4 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

5 The table of contents of the Fair Credit Reporting Act 

6 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

7 605C the following: 

‘‘605D. Adverse information about consumers unlawfully or wrongfully detained 

abroad or held hostage abroad.’’. 

Passed the Senate December 16, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5543 

AN ACT 

To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to proabroad. wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage sulted from that consumer being unlawfully or items of information about a consumer that re- nishing consumer reports containing adverse hibit consumer reporting agencies from fur-