United Way shared priorities in March 10 Advocacy Update.
The Christian Advocacy Committee welcomed Stephanie Mace of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas to an open Zoom session on Wednesday, March 10, to share legislative priorities for the current Texas legislative session.
At the federal level, consumer protections that have recently been rolled back are expected to be re-established within the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC). All federal protections preempt state laws and local ordinances.
At the state level, advocates will be encouraging hearings for the following bills in the House by the House Pension Investment & Financial Services Committee chaired by Rep. Rafael Anchia and in the Senate by the Business and Industry Committee chaired by Rep. Chris Turner.
- HB 417 protects against illegal use of the criminal justice system by lenders for collections.
- HB 1937 establishes a 36% interest rate cap. Some loans are currently in excess of 500%.
- HB 206 adopts city payday lending ordinances into state law.
- HB 1916 prohibits certain unsolicited telemarketing from lending businesses.
- HB 2624 establishes a 30% rate cap for payday loans during a disaster and for 2 years thereafter.
- SB 571 expands protection for victims of coerced debt.
- SB 644 modernizes wage exemptions & garnishment process to avoid throwing families into crisis for collection of past debt.
- At the local level, significant reform has not been enacted since 2013. A recent local ordinance does close a loophole for small-dollar lenders.
For more information regarding these issues, visit texasappleseed.org.
If you would like to be made aware of advocacy efforts concerning consumer protections/payday lending, email aadcox@wilshirebc.org to be added to our contact list.
Upcoming Wednesday, March 17 at Noon: Advocacy Update focuses on healthcare. Healthcare and Medicaid Expansion will be the topic of the Christian Advocacy Committee’s Wednesday Advocacy Update on March 17 at noon. The 30- to 45-minute Zoom session is open to all. Email Abbey Adcox (aadcox@wilshirebc.org) for the Zoom link.