OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act

Floor Speech

Date: April 19, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Military Personnel Finance and Banking

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Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1491, the Fair Debt Collection Practices for Servicemembers Act.

I thank Representative Dean for offering this legislation.

Madam Speaker, our servicemembers put their lives on the line for us every day. To that end, we must ensure they are adequately protected from abuse or harassment related to outstanding debt. I am pleased that we were able to work in a bipartisan fashion to meet this goal.

H.R. 1491 prohibits debt collectors from using threats against a servicemember's rank or security clearance, or threats of prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Not only are such practices unfair, they also create the risk of harm to military readiness.

Last Congress, during the committee markup of H.R. 1491, Republicans expressed concerns that there were too many unanswered questions about how this bill could impact military readiness. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers), who has had a distinguished career in our military, offered an amendment, which directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the impact this bill has on readiness with servicemembers regarding debts in collection, as well as military readiness and national security. This commonsense approach ensures that Congress understands and is able to account for the connection between national security and the protection of servicemembers from unfair practices.

Madam Speaker, I thank the Democrat majority for accepting this amendment, and I am glad that it continues to be included in this bill we are considering today. This makes this a far more lasting bill, I believe, and more impactful on the people that the author and this Congress want to ensure are taken care of, and those are the folks who serve and protect us each and every day.

As a reminder, this bill passed the House unanimously in March of last year.

All Americans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect when faced with repaying a debt. This is especially true for our servicemembers, who fight for our freedoms every day.

Madam Speaker, this bill contains important safeguards.

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