[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 513 Engrossed in House (EH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 513
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to enhance the protection
of credit ratings of members of the reserve component who serve on
active duty in support of a contingency operation, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Heroes Credit Protection
Act''.
SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF CREDIT RATINGS OF MEMBERS OF THE RESERVE
COMPONENTS DEPLOYED IN SUPPORT OF CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS.
(a) In General.--Title II of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
(50 U.S.C. App. 521 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``SEC. 208. PROTECTION OF CREDIT RATINGS OF MEMBERS OF RESERVE
COMPONENTS DEPLOYED IN SUPPORT OF CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS.
``(a) Request for Military Service Deployment Explanation.--At any
time during or after serving on active duty in support of a contingency
operation, an eligible servicemember may request that a consumer
reporting agency include a military service deployment explanation with
respect to a qualifying account in the file of that servicemember at
the consumer reporting agency.
``(b) Responsibilities of Consumer Reporting Agencies.--Upon
receiving a request from an eligible servicemember under subsection
(a), a consumer reporting agency shall--
``(1) include a military service deployment explanation
with respect to a qualifying account in the file of that
servicemember and provide the military service deployment
explanation to each person who requests the credit score or
consumer report of the servicemember;
``(2) develop and maintain procedures for the referral to
other such agencies of any military service deployment
explanation received by the agency; and
``(3) notify the servicemember in writing that the
inclusion of any explanation or notation in the file of the
servicemember could potentially negatively affect the credit
rating of the servicemember and may not mitigate a low credit
score.
``(c) Duty of Reseller to Reconvey Military Service Deployment
Explanation.--A reseller shall include in any report of the reseller on
a servicemember any military service deployment explanation placed in
the file of that servicemember by another consumer reporting agency
pursuant to this section.
``(d) Acknowledgment of Military Service Deployment Explanation.--
Any prospective user of a consumer credit report containing a military
service deployment explanation shall acknowledge such military service
deployment explanation.
``(e) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
``(1) The term `eligible servicemember' means a member of a
reserve component who serves on active duty outside the
continental United States in support of a contingency operation
under a call or order specifying a period of such service of
not less than 180 days (or who enters such service under a call
or order specifying a period of 180 days or less and who,
without a break in service, receives orders extending the
period of such service to a period of not less than 180 days).
``(2) The term `military service deployment explanation'
means a code generated by a consumer reporting agency that is
delivered in conjunction with a consumer report or credit score
to a user of the consumer report or credit score to indicate
that the consumer report or credit score of the consumer was
adversely affected during a period in which the consumer was a
servicemember serving on active duty outside the continental
United States in support of a contingency operation.
``(3) The term `contingency operation' has the meaning
given that term under section 101(a)(13) of title 10, United
States Code.
``(4) The term `active duty' has the meaning given that
term under section 101(d)(1) of title 10, United States Code.
``(5) The term `consumer reporting agency' has the meaning
given that term under section 603 of the Fair Credit Reporting
Act.
``(6) The term `reseller' has the meaning given that term
under section 603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
``(7) The term `qualifying account' means an account that
was opened by a servicemember before the date on which the
servicemember was deployed outside the continental United
States in support of a contingency operation, but only with
respect to obligations incurred before such date.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 207
the following new item:
``Sec. 208. Protection of credit ratings of certain servicemembers.''.
(c) Military Service Deployment Explanation Not to Affect Certain
Future Transactions.--Section 108 of such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 518) is
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting after
``liability of that servicemember'' the following: ``, or the inclusion
of a military service deployment explanation in a file of the
servicemember at a consumer reporting agency pursuant to section
208,''.
Passed the House of Representatives November 5, 2007.
Attest:
Clerk.
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 513
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to enhance the protection
of credit ratings of members of the reserve component who serve on
active duty in support of a contingency operation, and for other
purposes.