00                      CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 178(L&C)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to medical debt and consumer credit reporting agencies; relating to                                    
02 discriminatory practices based on the medical debt of a person; and providing for an                                    
03 effective date."                                                                                                        
04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
05    * Section 1. AS 18.80.240 is amended by adding new subsections to read:                                            
06            (b)  It is unlawful for the owner, lessee, manager, or other person having the                               
07       right to lease or rent residential real property                                                                  
08                 (1)  to refuse to lease or rent the real property to a person because of the                            
09       person's medical debt;                                                                                            
10                 (2)  to discriminate against a person in a term, condition, or privilege                                
11       relating to the use, lease, or rental of the real property because of the person's medical                        
12       debt;                                                                                                             
13                 (3)  to make a written or oral inquiry or record of the medical debt of a                               
14       person seeking to rent or lease the real property;                                                                

01                 (4)  to represent to a person that the real property is not available for                               
02       inspection, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to refuse to allow a person                      
03       to inspect the real property because of the person's medical debt;                                                
04 (5)  to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or                                                       
05 published, any notice, statement, or advertisement with respect to the rental of the real                               
06 property that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a                                        
07       person's medical debt.                                                                                            
08            (c)  In this section, "medical debt" has the meaning given in AS 45.48.800(c).                               
09    * Sec. 2. AS 45.48 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                   
10                    Article 6A. Miscellaneous Provisions.                                                              
11 Sec. 45.48.800. Medical debt. (a) A medical creditor or medical debt collector                                        
12 may not communicate with or report information to a consumer credit reporting                                           
13 agency regarding a medical debt. If a medical creditor or medical debt collector                                        
14 communicates with or reports information to a consumer credit reporting agency                                          
15 regarding the medical debt of a consumer in violation of this subsection, the                                           
16       consumer's agreement to pay the debt is void and unenforceable.                                                   
17 (b)  A consumer credit reporting agency may not include medical debt in a                                               
18       consumer 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                                                       
21 services and to whom a consumer owes or, if purchased by a medical debt collector,                                      
22       owed medical debt;                                                                                                
23 (2)  "medical debt" means an obligation for the payment of money                                                        
24 arising out of an agreement or contract, express or implied, for the provision of health                                
25 care services, products, or devices; "medical debt" does not include debt charged to a                                  
26       credit 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                                                             
29 indirectly, medical debt originally owed or due, or asserted to be owed or due,                                         
30            to another;                                                                                                  
31 (B)  purchases medical debt from an entity that provides health                                                         

01            care services.                                                                                               
02    * Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).