I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 953 
To prohibit consumer reporting agencies from including adverse information 
in certain consumer reports, and from making adverse determinations 
relating to security clearances, with respect to certain individuals affected 
by the Government shutdown, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2019 
Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Ms. 
MOORE, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to 
the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prohibit consumer reporting agencies from including ad-
verse information in certain consumer reports, and from 
making adverse determinations relating to security clear-
ances, with respect to certain individuals affected by 
the 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, 
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SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON INCLUDING ADVERSE INFOR-
MATION IN CERTAIN CONSUMER REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), if an 
event occurred during a shutdown that resulted in the fur-
nishing of an item of adverse information to a consumer 
reporting agency that such agency would otherwise include 
in a consumer report of a covered individual, such agency 
may not include such information in a consumer report 
of such covered individual during the period beginning on 
the first day of a shutdown and ending on the date that 
is 9 months after the day on which the shutdown ends. 
(b) COVERED INDIVIDUALS.—For a covered indi-
vidual to be eligible under subsection (a), such covered in-
dividual shall submit a certification to the Bureau of Con-
sumer Financial Protection that the event that resulted 
in the furnishing of an item of adverse information oc-
curred because of the shutdown. 
SEC. 2. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND SECURITY CLEAR-
ANCE DETERMINATIONS. 
The head of an agency may not make an adverse de-
termination for purposes of granting or renewing a secu-
rity clearance or an access determination with respect to 
any covered person (as that term is defined in section 
3002(a)(2) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Pre-
vention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. 3343(a)(2)) based solely 
on a failure of that covered person to make any payment 
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on a debt due during the period of a shutdown during 
which that covered person was furloughed or excepted 
from such furlough as a result of such shutdown. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘consumer reporting agency’’ has the meaning given 
in section 603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 
U.S.C. 1681a). 
(2) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘covered 
individual’’ means— 
(A) an employee of the Federal Govern-
ment furloughed or excepted from such fur-
lough during any shutdown; 
(B) a Federal contractor who, during any 
shutdown, is not receiving pay by reason of 
such shutdown; and 
(C) an owner or employee of a small busi-
ness concern (as defined under section 3 of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) that is lo-
cated within a reasonable distance of a building 
owned or rented by the Federal Government, as 
determined by the Bureau of Consumer Finan-
cial Protection. 
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(3) SHUTDOWN.—The term ‘‘shutdown’’ means 
any lapse in appropriations that begins on or after 
December 22, 2018. 
Æ 
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