Bill > SB0230

This bill amends Tennessee law to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from including medical debt judgments on consumer credit reports starting July 1, 2025. Specifically, the bill defines "medical debt" as a debt related to healthcare services that has been reported to a collection agency or resulted in a court judgment. Under the new law, if a consumer reporting agency mistakenly includes a medical debt record on a consumer report, the affected individual can dispute the information through the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Violations of this law will be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, giving the attorney general the authority to investigate and pursue legal action in Davidson County circuit or chancery court. The bill uses federal definitions for key terms like "consumer report" and "consumer reporting agency" from the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and importantly, no costs can be taxed against the attorney general or the state in actions brought under this new law. The legislation aims to protect consumers by preventing medical debt from negatively impacting their credit reports.

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https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0230&ga=114