Tully, Swain and Timberlake Bill to Protect Information of Federal Employees Affected by Partial Government Shutdown Approved by Assembly Panel

(TRENTON) – To help federal employees in New Jersey who worked for 35 days without pay as a result of the partial federal government shutdown earlier this year, Assembly Democrats Chris Tully (D-Bergen, Passaic), Lisa Swain (D-Bergen, Passaic) and Britnee Timberlake (D-Essex, Passaic) released the following joint statement on their bill (A-5166) to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from including any adverse information deriving from the shutdown in consumer reports. The bill was approved Monday by the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.

“So many American families would struggle to keep their heads above water if they had to go over a month without a paycheck. That’s exactly what about 420,000 federal workers – including 6,700 here in New Jersey – were forced to do this past winter during the partial federal government shutdown. Squabbling in Washington resulted in families wondering where their next meal would come from, or if their jobs would ever return.

“Federal workers did not ask for this burden, and they certainly don’t deserve to be penalized for circumstances largely outside of their control. This bill will ensure any negative information stemming from the shutdown that would have normally appeared on a consumer report will be withheld upon request. It’s only fair to do anything we can to help federal workers put the shutdown behind them and get back on their feet.”