# 119-s-3721: Empowering States' Rights To Protect Consumers Act of 2026

119-s-3721, Empowering States' Rights To Protect Consumers Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3721
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3721
- Congress: 119
- Title: Empowering States' Rights To Protect Consumers Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Gives states the final say on APR caps for most consumer loans.** This bill would require that the annual percentage rate for non-mortgage consumer credit cannot exceed the maximum rate allowed by the borrower’s state and would count any fees in that APR calculation. - Consumers: Borrowers would be capped by their state’s maximum APR for most consumer credit. Fees charged with the loan would count toward that cap. - Lenders and markets: Lenders would have to set APRs based on the borrower’s state limit even if federal law allows higher rates. The change applies to any consumer credit transaction other than residential mortgages. - States and enforcement: The bill would preserve state usury limits by overriding conflicting federal statutes or rules for covered consumer credit. Compliance and enforcement would follow the existing Truth in Lending Act framework.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- State APR caps for consumer loans: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would limit the APR on any consumer credit transaction to the maximum rate allowed by the laws of the State where you live. This would not apply to residential mortgage transactions. Lenders would have to include fees when calculating APR for these loans. The bill's "notwithst…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3721 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3721)

## Related
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3721 (as of 2026-04-21).