Congress blocks CFPB's debt-collection fee rollback, restoring consumer protection
S.J.Res. 125 — A joint resolution 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 "Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F); Pay-to-Pay Fees". · Filed by Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) · Introduced Mar 17, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block a CFPB rule that withdrew consumer protections against 'pay-to-pay' fees in debt collection. By disapproving the CFPB's withdrawal, Congress restores the original debt-collection rule that banned or restricted fees charged to consumers for making payments on debts. Debt collectors lose the ability to charge these fees; consumers regain protection.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to restore a debt-collection consumer protection by voiding a CFPB withdrawal. It is a straightforward Congressional Review Act disapproval with no riders or hidden provisions.
What the text implies
- Restoring the rule may increase compliance costs for debt-collection firms, potentially reducing their profit margins on collection activity or forcing them to absorb pay-to-pay fees as a cost of business.
- The resolution does not address whether the original rule itself remains subject to future CFPB withdrawal or modification; it only blocks THIS particular withdrawal action.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Consumers regain a direct protection: debt collectors cannot charge fees for the act of paying a debt. This eliminates a predatory practice that trapped low-income debtors in cycles of additional charges. The restoration is a clear consumer win with no offsetting public cost.
Named in the bill
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F), Pay-to-Pay Fees, 87 Fed. Reg. 39733, 90 Fed. Reg. 20084, 5 U.S.C. 802(c), Congressional Review Act
Where it stands
- Mar 17, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Mar 17, 2026 — 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”
- Apr 27, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs discharged, by petition, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 802(c)”
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 (1,534 characters) on Apr 5, 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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