Federal Employees Civil Relief Act
Official title: To suspend the enforcement of certain civil liabilities of Federal employees and contractors during a lapse in appropriations, or during a breach of the statutory debt limit, and for other purposes.
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Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, and House Administration, 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.
Federal Employees Civil Relief Act
This bill establishes a framework to temporarily suspend certain judicial and administrative proceedings against a federal employee or contractor during a shutdown.
Under the bill, a shutdown is a period in which (1) there is more than a 24-hour lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department because a regular appropriations bill or a continuing resolution has not been enacted, or (2) the debt of the federal government is greater than the statutory limit.
A federal worker (i.e., an employee of a government agency or contractor) who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown may apply to a court for a temporary stay, postponement, or suspension with respect to any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, student loan repayment, or other civil obligation or liability that the worker owes or would owe during the duration of the shutdown.
The bill includes related provisions that restrict evictions, foreclosures, the enforcement of liens, and the termination of insurance policies during a shutdown. It also provides for the deferral of federal income taxes and student loan payments during a shutdown.
The Department of Justice may commence a civil action against any person who engages in (1) a pattern or practice of violating the requirements of this bill, or (2) a violation that raises an issue of significant public importance. A person aggrieved by a violation of this bill's requirements may also bring a private right of action.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
- FEDERAL MANAGERS ASSOCIATION
- NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
- FEDERAL MANAGERS ASSOCIATION
- FEDERAL MANAGERS ASSOCIATION
- NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
Bodies those filers lobbied
- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- SENATE
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- Energy, Dept of
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
- Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5708: Federal Employees Civil Relief Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-5708/
"H.R. 5708: Federal Employees Civil Relief Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-5708/.
H.R. 5708, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-5708/.
[H.R. 5708: Federal Employees Civil Relief Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-5708/)