Utilities can now report your rent and bills to credit bureaus

What it does

This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to permit energy utilities, water/sewer providers, and telecommunications companies to report positive payment information (on-time payments for utilities and rent) to credit reporting agencies. It also protects these firms from liability for reporting such information, and requires a Government Accountability Office study within two years on how this affects consumers.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is to expand the universe of data that utilities, telecom firms, and landlords may report to credit bureaus. It does not mandate reporting, but removes legal barriers and provides liability protection for voluntary reporting of payment performance.

What the text implies

• Utilities and telecom firms gain discretion to report positive data selectively; they may report on-time payments for creditworthy customers while omitting or delaying negative reports for delinquent accounts, creating asymmetric credit-file information.
• Consumers without utility or telecom accounts (e.g., those using prepaid services, living off-grid, or in subsidized housing without direct utility contracts) may be excluded from this new credit-building pathway, potentially widening credit access inequality.
• The liability shield in § 623(c)(3) protects firms from lawsuits for inaccurate or negligent reporting of utility payment data, reducing enforcement pressure on data accuracy compared to traditional credit reporting.
• Subsidized housing residents (HUD-assisted tenants) are explicitly included, but only if their landlords or HUD itself chooses to report; no affirmative obligation exists, so benefit depends on landlord participation.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Consumers with strong utility and rent payment histories gain a new pathway to build credit and potentially lower borrowing costs; however, consumers with payment difficulties face expanded negative reporting that may worsen their credit access. The bill does not mandate reporting, so firms may selectively report positive data while omitting negative data, creating asymmetric information.

Who stands to gain

• energy utility companies
• telecommunications service providers
• water and sewer utilities
• credit reporting agencies (expanded data sources)
• landlords and property management firms

Named in the bill

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Section 623, FCRA, Consumer reporting agencies, Energy utility firms, Utility and telecommunication firms, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comptroller General of the United States, Congress

Where it stands

4 cosponsors: 4 Republicans.

• Apr 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Apr 10, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 6 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $16,555,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Tim Scott, the sponsor, reported $214,300 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Association of Realtors — $14,580,000 on 1 filing
• Experian North America — $845,000 on 2 filings
• Trans Union LLC — $520,000 on 1 filing
• Equifax, Inc — $500,000 on 1 filing
• American Fintech Council — $110,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.