IB 

Union Calendar No. 542 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3948 

[Report No. 116–658] 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to extend the provisions 

of that Act to cover a debt collector who is collecting debt owed to 

a State or local government, to index award amounts under such Act 

for inflation, to provide for civil injunctive relief for violations of such 

Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 24, 2019 

Mr. MEEKS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Financial Services 

DECEMBER 16, 2020 

Additional sponsors: Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. CLEAVER, and 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia 

DECEMBER 16, 2020 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 24, 2019] 


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•HR 3948 RH

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to extend 

the provisions of that Act to cover a debt collector who 

is collecting debt owed to a State or local government, 

to index award amounts under such Act for inflation, 

to provide for civil injunctive relief for violations of such 

Act, and for other purposes. 


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•HR 3948 RH

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 ‘‘Debt Collection Practices 

5 Harmonization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PREVENTING DECEPTIVE AND HARASSING PRAC7 TICES WHEN COLLECTING DEBT OWED TO A 

8 STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 

9 Section 803(5) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices 

10 Act (15 U.S.C. 1692a(5)) is amended— 

11 (1) by striking ‘‘money arising out’’ and insert12 ing the following: ‘‘money— 

13 ‘‘(A) arising out’’; 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘judgment.’’ and inserting ‘‘judg15 ment; or’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(B) owed to a State.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. AWARD OF DAMAGES. 

19 (a) ADDITIONAL DAMAGES INDEXED FOR INFLA20 TION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 813 of the Fair Debt 

22 Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692k) is amend23 ed by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(f) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.— 


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•HR 3948 RH

1 ‘‘(1) INITIAL ADJUSTMENT.—Not later than 90 

2 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, 

3 the Bureau shall provide a percentage increase 

4 (rounded to the nearest multiple of $100 or $1,000, as 

5 applicable) in the amounts set forth in this section 

6 equal to the percentage by which— 

7 ‘‘(A) the Consumer Price Index for All 

8 Urban Consumers (all items, United States city 

9 average) for the 12-month period ending on the 

10 June 30 preceding the date on which the percent11 age increase is provided, exceeds 

12 ‘‘(B) the Consumer Price Index for the 12- 

13 month period preceding January 1, 1978. 

14 ‘‘(2) ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS.—With respect to 

15 any fiscal year beginning after the date of the in16 crease provided under paragraph (1), the Bureau 

17 shall provide a percentage increase (rounded to the 

18 nearest multiple of $100 or $1,000, as applicable) in 

19 the amounts set forth in this section equal to the per20 centage by which— 

21 ‘‘(A) the Consumer Price Index for All 

22 Urban Consumers (all items, United States city 

23 average) for the 12-month period ending on the 

24 June 30 preceding the beginning of the fiscal 

25 year for which the increase is made, exceeds 


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•HR 3948 RH

1 ‘‘(B) the Consumer Price Index for the 12- 

2 month period preceding the 12-month period de3 scribed in subparagraph (A).’’. 

4 (2) APPLICABILITY.—The increases made under 

5 section 813(f) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices 

6 Act, as added by paragraph (1) of this subsection, 

7 shall apply with respect to failures to comply with a 

8 provision of such Act (15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) occur9 ring on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

10 (b) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.—Section 813(d) of the Fair 

11 Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692k(d)) is 

12 amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In a civil 

13 action alleging a violation of this title, the court may award 

14 appropriate relief, including injunctive relief.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON THE REFERRAL OF EMERGENCY 

16 INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DEBT. 

17 Chapter 3 of title 31, United States Code, is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) in subchapter II, by adding at the end the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘§ 334. Prohibition on the referral of emergency indi22 vidual assistance debt 

23 ‘‘With respect to any assistance provided by the Fed24 eral Emergency Management Agency to an individual or 

25 household pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 


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1 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122 et seq.), if 

2 the Secretary of the Treasury seeks to recoup any amount 

3 of such assistance because of an overpayment, the Secretary 

4 may not contract with any debt collector or other private 

5 party to collect such amounts, unless the overpayment oc6 curred because of fraud or deceit and the recipient of such 

7 assistance knew or should have known about such fraud or 

8 deceit.’’; and 

9 (2) in the table of contents for such chapter, by 

10 inserting after the item relating to section 333 the fol11 lowing: 

‘‘334. Prohibition on the referral of emergency individual assistance debt.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 542 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3948 

[Report No. 116–658] 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to 

for other purposes. injunctive relief for violations of such Act, and under such Act for inflation, to provide for civil or local government, to index award amounts collector who is collecting debt owed to a State extend the provisions of that Act to cover a debt 

DECEMBER 16, 2020 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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