{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://turner.house.gov/2023/12/turner-introduces-legislation-preserving-access-for-consumers-to-paper-bank-statements", "Turner Introduces Legislation Preserving Access for Consumers to Paper Bank Statements", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Michael R. Turner", "T000463", "turner.house.gov", "turner", "https://turner.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10) introduced the Protecting Against Paperless and Electronic Requirements (PAPER) Act. This legislation prohibits banks from forcing customers to use electronic bank statements instead of paper statements.\n\n\u201cOur country\u2019s financial institutions have an obligation to ensure that Americans can reasonably utilize the banking services they need, and this legislation guarantees that individuals are still able to obtain paper bank statements,\u201d said Congressman Mike Turner. \u201cFor America\u2019s senior citizens or those living in rural or underserved communities across the United States, online banking is not a viable alternative to paper billing, and the ultimatum of losing one\u2019s account runs counter to the principles of economic freedom that we hold dear. The PAPER Act would bar institutions from restricting their services and make certain that all Americans can participate in our banking system, regardless of their ability to connect to the internet.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Protecting Against Paperless and Electronic Requirements (PAPER) Act protects access to paper bank statements through two measures:\n\nRequiring that banks give customers the option to receive paper statements.\n\nProhibiting banks from withholding paper services unless customers switch to all digital statements.\n\nThe introduction of this legislation follows reports that banking institutions have begun to force customers to go \u201cfully digital.\u201d Last month, Citibank announced a new pilot program where customers were forced to relinquish paper statements in order to maintain access to their online bank accounts. This policy would disenfranchise many senior citizens and individuals who do not have reliable access to the internet.\n\nOne in five American households remain without internet access, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, banks and other large financial institutions are increasingly pushing customers to exclusively use online banking services by discontinuing paper statements.\n\nThe PAPER Act would ensure that Americans are able to access their banking records, regardless of geographic realities or socioeconomic status.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://turner.house.gov/2023/12/turner-introduces-legislation-preserving-access-for-consumers-to-paper-bank-statements"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.983899924904108, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}