H.R. 4328 would prohibit consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) from assembling any consumer report that includes adverse information about any action or inaction taken by a furloughed federal employee during a government shutdown and for 90 days following a shutdown. Some federal contractors and District of Columbia employees whose compensation is affected by a shutdown would receive the same protections. Under the bill, users of consumer reports would be prohibited from taking adverse action against those employees and contractors based on adverse information collected during a shutdown period.
In the event of a government shutdown, H.R. 4328 would require nationwide CRAs to establish and maintain a database of federal employees and contractors whose compensation is affected by the shutdown. Federal agencies would be required to provide the CRA industry with a list of furloughed federal employees and affected contractors. That database would be shared with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), entities that provide information to CRAs, and users of consumer reports.
