Congress blocks CFPB's debt-collection rule reversal, restoring protections
S.J.Res. 126 — 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 "Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Regulation F); Time-Barred Debt". · Filed by Andy Kim (D-NJ) · Introduced Mar 17, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block the CFPB's decision to withdraw a debt-collection rule that limited collection of time-barred debts. By disapproving the CFPB's withdrawal, Congress restores the original rule, meaning debt collectors will again be prohibited from collecting debts that are too old under state law.
Why we flagged it
This is a Congressional Review Act disapproval resolution that restores a consumer-protection rule by blocking the agency's withdrawal of it. The operative effect is to reinstate protections for consumers against collection of time-barred debt.
What the text implies
- If passed, this resolution would also trigger a prohibition on the CFPB from issuing substantially the same rule in the future without explicit congressional authorization (5 U.S.C. § 801(b)(2)), effectively locking in the time-barred debt protection.
- The resolution's passage would reverse the CFPB's May 2025 withdrawal action, restoring the rule as it existed before that withdrawal—meaning the original protections take effect immediately upon enactment.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Consumers regain legal protection against collection of debts that are time-barred under state law. Debt collectors will be prohibited from pursuing these old debts, reducing harassment and preventing collection of legally uncollectible obligations.
Named in the bill
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB), Congress, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Regulation F, debt collectors
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 (1,557 characters) on Apr 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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