# 119-s-4144: ESCRA Act 119-s-4144, ESCRA Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-18). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4144 - As of: 2026-07-18 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-4144 - Congress: 119 - Title: ESCRA Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-03-19 - Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE) - Cosponsors: 2 - Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-07-18 ## Summary **Stronger rules and state licensing for credit repair companies.** This bill would expand the Credit Repair Organizations Act to add tougher consumer protections, require state licensing, and restrict deceptive and repeat dispute tactics. - Consumers would get clearer paperwork and real-time copies. Companies would have to give a signed contract and any documents or communications when signed or sent, and they could not charge until the consumer has documentation from a consumer reporting agency showing the promised fix, generally presumed not earlier than 180 days after service. - Credit repair firms and lawyers would face new accountability and licensing. Operators would need a state license to run after Jan 1, 2026, firms would remain liable even when attorneys provide services, and violations could carry $500 in damages each. - Disputes and furnishers would face stricter rules. Disputes must follow labeled first-class mail or specific recordkeeping for online forms, include the CRO name and license, allow 15 business days for clarifications, and the bill would bar "jamming" repeated disputes unless narrow conditions are met. ## Cosponsors (2) - Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] (R-AK), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Clearer credit-repair disclosures and limits: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would make credit repair companies give you clearer written disclosures and faster copies of their work. It would require the disclosure to say that you can do the same things for free, add CFPB contact details, and include telephone recordings when relevant. It would also requ… - No advance payment without proof: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar credit repair organizations from asking for or taking payment until they give you a consumer report showing the promised fix. That consumer report would have to be from a consumer reporting agency and dated not earlier than 180 days after the service date. The bill sa… - $500 penalty per CRO violation: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would let a consumer recover $500 for each violation of the credit repair law. The civil remedies section would be changed so courts can award $500 per separate violation instead of relying only on actual damages. - State license required for credit repair: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar anyone from acting as a credit repair organization on or after January 1, 2026 unless a State issues a license. States would set and enforce the licensing rules. This could reduce sketchy companies and improve oversight but might raise costs or reduce the number of pr… - How attorneys count as CROs: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would change who counts as a credit repair organization when attorneys are involved. It would say fees received for representing a consumer in preparation for or during litigation are not part of the CRO payment rule. It would also add language that some attorneys in the same l… ## Related bills - 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act - 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 - 119-s-4189: INSULIN Act of 2026 - 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act - 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025 - 119-s-237: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-s-4144 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4144) ## Related - [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748) - [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990) - [119-s-4189: INSULIN Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4189) - [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940) - [119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-410) - [119-s-237: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-237) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4144 (as of 2026-07-18).