116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2290 
AN ACT 
To require the Federal financial regulators to issue guidance 
encouraging financial institutions to work with con-
sumers and businesses affected by a Federal Government 
shutdown, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Shutdown Guidance 
for Financial Institutions Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SHUTDOWN GUIDANCE FOR FINANCIAL INSTITU-
TIONS. 
(a) GUIDANCE.—Not later than the end of the 180- 
day period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Federal financial regulators shall, jointly, in consulta-
tion with State banking regulators and other appropriate 
Federal and State agencies, issue shutdown guidance to 
the financial institutions they regulate encouraging the fi-
nancial institutions to— 
(1) work with consumers and businesses af-
fected by a shutdown; 
(2) recognize that consumers and businesses af-
fected by a shutdown may lose access to credit and 
face temporary hardship in making payments on 
debts such as mortgages, student loans, car loans, 
business loans, or credit cards; 
(3) consider prudent efforts to modify terms on 
existing loans or extend new credit to help con-
sumers and businesses affected by a shutdown, con-
sistent with safe-and-sound lending practices; and 
(4) take steps to prevent adverse information 
being reported in a manner that harms consumers 
affected by a shutdown, including by preventing
quired under subsection (a) if any shortcomings are 
identified in such report. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CONSUMERS AFFECTED BY A SHUTDOWN.— 
The term ‘‘consumers affected by a shutdown’’ 
means an individual who is an employee of— 
(A) the Federal Government, and who is 
furloughed or excepted from a furlough during 
the shutdown; 
(B) the District of Columbia, and who is 
not receiving pay because of the shutdown; or 
(C) a Federal contractor (as defined under 
section 7101 of title 41, United States Code) or 
other business, and who has experienced a sub-
stantial reduction in pay due to the shutdown. 
(2) CONSUMERS
AND
BUSINESSES
AFFECTED 
BY A SHUTDOWN.—The term ‘‘consumers and busi-
nesses affected by a shutdown’’ means— 
(A) a consumer affected by a shutdown; 
and 
(B) a Federal contractor (as defined under 
section 7101 of title 41, United States Code) or 
other business that has experienced a substan-
tial reduction in income due to the shutdown.
(3) FEDERAL
FINANCIAL
REGULATORS.—The 
term ‘‘Federal financial regulators’’ means the 
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 
the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the 
Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit 
Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit 
Union Administration. 
(4) SHUTDOWN.—The term ‘‘shutdown’’ means 
any period in which there is more than a 24-hour 
lapse in appropriations as a result of a failure to 
enact a regular appropriations bill or continuing res-
olution. 
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 19, 
2019. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2290 
AN ACT 
To require the Federal financial regulators to issue 
guidance encouraging financial institutions to 
work with consumers and businesses affected by 
a Federal Government shutdown, and for other 
purposes.