,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #feij  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #ba1 #bjbj,mr4
 ,pappas introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
defer action regarding certain debts    
arising from benefits under laws        
administered by the ,secretary of       
,veterans ,affairs for a period of time 
including the ,,covid-#ai emergency     
period4  #a4 ,deferral of certain debts 
arising from benefits under laws        
administered by the ,secretary of       
,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,in general     
,during the covered period1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs may    
not-- 7#a7 take any action to collect a 
covered debt 7including the offset of   
any payment by the ,secretary72  7#b7   
record a covered debt2  7#c7 issue      
notice of a covered debt to a person or 
a consumer reporting agency2  7#d7 allow
 any interest to accrue on a covered    
debt2 or  7#e7 apply any administrative 

fee to a covered debt4  7b7 ,exception  
,notwithstanding subsection 7a71 the    
,secretary may collect a payment        
regarding a covered debt 7including     
interest or any administrative fee7 from
 a person 7or the fiduciary of that     
person7 who elects to make such a       
payment during the covered period4  7c7 
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the
 term consumer reporting agency has the 
meaning given that term in section #egja
 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4   
7#b7 ,the term covered debt means a     
debt-- 7,a7 owed by a person 7including 
a fiduciary7 to the ,united ,states2    
7,b7 arising from a benefit under a     
covered law2 and  7,c7 that is not      
subject to recovery under-- 7i7 section 
#cgbi of title #ca1 ,united ,states     
,code2  7ii7 section #agbi of title #ch1
 ,united ,states ,code2 or  7iii7       
,public ,law #hg-fic 7#db ,u4,s4,c4     
#bfea74  7#c7 ,the term covered law     
means any law administered by the       
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs        

through-- 7,a7 the ,under ,secretary for
 ,health2 or  7,b7 the ,under ,secretary
 for ,benefits4  7#d7 ,the term covered 
period means-- 7,a7 the ,,covid-#ai     
emergency period2 and  7,b7 the #fj days
 immediately following the date of the  
end of the ,,covid-#ai emergency period4
  7#e7 ,the term ,,covid-#ai emergency  
period means the emergency period       
described in section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 
of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b774