HR 2547, the Debt Collection Improvement Act, led by Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, passed the House and adopted Rep. Bowman's amendment to prohibit debt collectors from contacting borrowers on social media without explicit permission  

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) amendment to further protect consumers from online harassment by debt collection agencies was adopted by the U.S. House today as part of House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Rep. Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) Debt Collection Improvement Act. 

Debt collectors are able to harass borrowers via email, phone calls, text, and even personal social media profiles. Rep. Bowman’s amendment would help to rein in the harassment against consumers by prohibiting collectors from contacting borrowers on social media without their explicit permission — part of Rep. Waters’ legislation to expand and enhance consumer, student, servicemember, and small business protections with respect to debt collection practices. 

“Eighty percent of Americans have debt, and we punish people for it, but the shame should actually be on policies that incentivize debt and predatory behavior in debt collection,” Rep. Bowman said. “The lack of protections in place for borrowers is a reflection of those harmful policies. Debt collectors today can use virtually any means available to harass borrowers — even in the middle of a global pandemic that has taken nearly 600,000 Americans’ lives, increased unemployment, and left millions unsure of how they’ll put enough food on the table. While there is still more work to be done on this front, this is an important place to start.”

Click here to read the text of the amendment, and click here to see Rep. Bowman’s floor speech on the amendment.

###