Financial Services
Financial Services issues affect us all and play a large role in the economy. I have long supported legislation to protect consumers in financial matters.
I was proud to support the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, which passed under a Democratic Congress and was signed into law by President Obama in 2009, to protect consumers from excessive credit card fees, retroactive interest rate hikes and unfair agreements that credit card companies could revise at will.
With so many Americans struggling to find jobs, credit checks should not be used as a basis to deny employment to otherwise qualified candidates. Memphis is in the bottom 10 cities in the nation when ranked by average credit score, according to a survey by Experian, one of the nation's major consumer credit rating firms. I feel very strongly that a credit score should not be used to judge the character of job applicants. Second chances in Hollywood and professional sports seem to occur every day, but not for Memphians who are desperately looking for work. Congress should be doing everything in its power to help people find jobs during these tough economic times and not hinder them with a credit check for employment.