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HR 5796 114th Congress House

Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2016

Official title: To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to prohibit a court from making an award of costs to a defendant except on a finding that an action was brought in bad faith.

Introduced: July 14, 2016 See on congress.gov
Finance and Financial Sector Civil actions and liabilityConsumer creditDebt collectionLegal fees and court costs
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 11, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Jul 14, 2016
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jul 14, 2016
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 11, 2016

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2016

This bill amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to permit the award of court costs and attorney fees to the defendant in an action to enforce liability for violating such Act only after finding that the action was brought in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 5484 Reintroduced Bill Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2018
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5796: Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2016. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5796/
MLA
"H.R. 5796: Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2016." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5796/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5796, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5796/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5796: Fair Debt Collections Practices Clarification Act of 2016](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5796/)
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