S.Amdt. 3266

SA 3266. Mr. WARNOCK (for himself and Mr. Budd) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

DIVISION _____--FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES FOR SERVICEMEMBERS

SEC. ___01. SHORT TITLE.

This division may be cited as the ``Fair Debt Collection
Practices for Servicemembers Act''.

SEC. ___02. ENHANCED PROTECTION AGAINST DEBT COLLECTOR
HARASSMENT OF SERVICEMEMBERS.

(a) Communication in Connection With Debt Collection.--
Section 805 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15
U.S.C. 1692c) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Communications Concerning Servicemember Debts.--
``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `covered
member' means--
``(A) a covered member or a dependent as defined in section
987(i) of title 10, United States Code; and
``(B)(i) an individual who was separated, discharged, or
released from duty described in such section 987(i)(1), but
only during the 365-day period beginning on the date of
separation, discharge, or release; or
``(ii) a person, with respect to an individual described in
clause (i), described in subparagraph (A), (D), (E), or (I)
of section 1072(2) of title 10, United States Code.
``(2) Prohibitions.--A debt collector may not, in
connection with the collection of any debt of a covered
member--
``(A) threaten to have the covered member reduced in rank;
``(B) threaten to have the covered member's security
clearance revoked; or
``(C) threaten to have the covered member prosecuted under
chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code (the Uniform Code
of Military Justice).''.
(b) Unfair Practices.--Section 808 of the Fair Debt
Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692f) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(9) The representation to any covered member (as defined
under section 805(e)(1)) that failure to cooperate with a
debt collector will result in--
``(A) a reduction in rank of the covered member;
``(B) a revocation of the covered member's security
clearance; or
``(C) prosecution under chapter 47 of title 10, United
States Code (the Uniform Code of Military Justice).''.

SEC. ___03. GAO STUDY.

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct
a study and submit a report to Congress on the impact of this
division on--
(1) the timely delivery of information to a covered member
(as defined in section 805(e) of the Fair Debt Collection
Practices Act, as added by this division);
(2) military readiness; and
(3) national security, including the extent to which
covered members with security clearances would be impacted by
uncollected debt.

SEC. ___04. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this division shall be construed to prevent
legally informing servicemembers of their debt and collecting
the debt from servicemembers through legal means.
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