Congress restores debt-collection protections CFPB had quietly withdrawn
H.J.Res. 166 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to the withdrawal of the rule relating to "Bulletin 2015-07 re: in-person collection of consumer debt". · Filed by Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) · Introduced Apr 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block a CFPB rule that withdrew consumer-debt collection protections. The CFPB had rescinded Bulletin 2015-07, which governed in-person debt collection practices. Congress is now disapproving that rescission, which restores the original 2015 protections for consumers dealing with debt collectors.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a Congressional Review Act disapproval that voids a CFPB rescission, thereby restoring a 2015 consumer-protection bulletin governing debt-collection practices. The functional effect is restoration of consumer safeguards, not deregulation.
What the text implies
- Restoring Bulletin 2015-07 may increase compliance costs for debt-collection agencies and third-party debt buyers, potentially raising collection-related fees or reducing collection volume.
- The restoration applies retroactively to the May 12, 2025 Federal Register publication date, potentially affecting debt-collection practices already undertaken under the rescinded rule.
- If the CFPB attempts to re-rescind Bulletin 2015-07 after this disapproval, it may face heightened scrutiny under the Administrative Procedure Act or face another CRA challenge.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Restoring Bulletin 2015-07 reinstates consumer protections against abusive in-person debt collection practices. Ordinary people facing debt collectors regain regulatory guardrails that the CFPB had removed.
Named in the bill
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), Bulletin 2015-07, Congress, House Committee on Financial Services, Ms. Pettersen (sponsor)
Where it stands
- Apr 30, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 30, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,271 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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