I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1491 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide enhanced protection against debt collector harassment of members of the Armed Forces, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 2, 2021 

Ms. DEAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide 

enhanced protection against debt collector harassment 

of members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 

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 Debt Collection 

5 Practices for Servicemembers Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ENHANCED PROTECTION AGAINST DEBT COL2 LECTOR HARASSMENT OF SERVICEMEM3 BERS. 

4 (a) COMMUNICATION IN CONNECTION WITH DEBT

5 COLLECTION.—Section 805 of the Fair Debt Collection 

6 Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692c) is amended by adding 

7 at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) COMMUNICATIONS CONCERNING SERVICEMEM9 BER DEBTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

11 ‘covered member’ means— 

12 ‘‘(A) a covered member or a dependent as 

13 defined in section 987(i) of title 10, United 

14 States Code; and 

15 ‘‘(B)(i) an individual who was separated, 

16 discharged, or released from duty described in 

17 such section 987(i)(1), but only during the 365- 

18 day period beginning on the date of separation, 

19 discharge, or release; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) a person, with respect to an individual 

21 described in clause (i), described in subpara22 graph (A), (D), (E), or (I) of section 1072(2) 

23 of title 10, United States Code. 

24 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITIONS.—A debt collector may not, 

25 in connection with the collection of any debt of a 

26 covered member— 


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1 ‘‘(A) threaten to have the covered member 

2 reduced in rank; 

3 ‘‘(B) threaten to have the covered mem4 ber’s security clearance revoked; or 

5 ‘‘(C) threaten to have the covered member 

6 prosecuted under chapter 47 of title 10, United 

7 States Code (the Uniform Code of Military Jus8 tice).’’. 

9 (b) UNFAIR PRACTICES.—Section 808 of the Fair 

10 Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692f) is amend11 ed by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(9) The representation to any covered member 

13 (as defined under section 805(e)(1)) that failure to 

14 cooperate with a debt collector will result in— 

15 ‘‘(A) a reduction in rank of the covered 

16 member; 

17 ‘‘(B) a revocation of the covered member’s 

18 security clearance; or 

19 ‘‘(C) prosecution under chapter 47 of title 

20 10, United States Code (the Uniform Code of 

21 Military Justice).’’. 

22 SEC. 3. GAO STUDY. 

23 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

24 conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on the 

25 impact of this Act on— 


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1 (1) the timely delivery of information to a cov2 ered member (as defined in section 805(e) of the 

3 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as added by this 

4 Act); 

5 (2) military readiness; and 

6 (3) national security, including the extent to 

7 which covered members with security clearances 

8 would be impacted by uncollected debt. 

9 SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

10 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

11 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

12 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

13 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

14 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

15 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro16 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

17 vote on passage. 

Æ 


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