HB 178

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                             CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 178(L&C)
                     IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
                     THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
 BY THE HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE
 Offered: 5/9/25
 Referred: Finance
 Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVE MINA
                                               A BILL
                                    FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
1 "An Act relating to medical debt and consumer credit reporting agencies; relating to
2 discriminatory practices based on the medical debt of a person; and providing for an
3 effective date."
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
5  * Section 1. AS 18.80.240 is amended by adding new subsections to read:
6(b) It is unlawful for the owner, lessee, manager, or other person having the
7right to lease or rent residential real property
8(1) to refuse to lease or rent the real property to a person because of the
9person's medical debt;
10(2) to discriminate against a person in a term, condition, or privilege
11relating to the use, lease, or rental of the real property because of the person's medical
12debt;
13(3) to make a written or oral inquiry or record of the medical debt of a
14person seeking to rent or lease the real property;
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1(4) to represent to a person that the real property is not available for
2inspection, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to refuse to allow a person
3to inspect the real property because of the person's medical debt;
4(5)   to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or
5published, any notice, statement, or advertisement with respect to the rental of the real
6property that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a
7person's medical debt.
8(c) In this section, "medical debt" has the meaning given in AS 45.48.800(c).
9  * Sec. 2. AS 45.48 is amended by adding a new section to read:
10Article 6A. Miscellaneous Provisions.
11Sec. 45.48.800. Medical debt. (a) A medical creditor or medical debt collector
12may not communicate with or report information to a consumer credit reporting
13agency regarding a medical debt. If a medical creditor or medical debt collector
14communicates with or reports information to a consumer credit reporting agency
15regarding the medical debt of a consumer in violation of this subsection, the
16consumer's agreement to pay the debt is void and unenforceable.
17(b) A consumer credit reporting agency may not include medical debt in a
18consumer report or use medical debt to calculate a credit score.
19(c) In this section,
20(1)   "medical creditor" means an entity that provides health care
21services and to whom a consumer owes or, if purchased by a medical debt collector,
22owed medical debt;
23(2) "medical debt" means an obligation for the payment of money
24arising out of an agreement or contract, express or implied, for the provision of health
25care services, products, or devices; "medical debt" does not include debt charged to a
26credit card or an extension of credit made by a financial institution to a borrower;
27(3) "medical debt collector" means a person that
28(A)   regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or
29indirectly, medical debt originally owed or due, or asserted to be owed or due,
30to another;
31(B) purchases medical debt from an entity that provides health
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1care services.
2  * Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).
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