WASHINGTON — The House Financial Services Committee postponed a scheduled markup session Tuesday after the Democratic chair tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time this spring.
The session, originally slated to begin Tuesday morning, was postponed via email at noon Eastern Time. Lawmakers had been scheduled to discuss bills that would fund housing initiatives, limit the use of industrial loan company charters and introduce new limits on banks’ ability to collect overdraft fees.
Shortly after 1 p.m. ET, the committee announced that Chair Maxine Waters, D-Calif., had tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, Waters said that she was experiencing no symptoms: “I am feeling fine and resting at home,” she said.
It was the second time in less than two months that Waters, 83, has tested positive. Her last positive test came in April, when
A total of 12 bills, several of which focus on housing affordability and access, had been set to be discussed Tuesday.
One bill, submitted by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, would
Beyond housing, the committee would have discussed a number of bills that would impact the banking industry. One measure, sponsored by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., would close the
Democrats at a hearing on Capitol Hill contended overdraft fees hurt low-income consumers and should be reined in — with Rep. Maxine Waters proposing to make larger banks offer an account without such charges. Yet Republicans said eliminating the fees would drive some consumers toward predatory lenders and away from small banks.
Another bill, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., would introduce new limits on
The committee has not announced a new time for the markup.
