Bill > HB0223

This bill creates new protections for consumers in Tennessee by prohibiting 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 sent 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 credit report, the affected individual can dispute the information using procedures outlined in the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Violations of this new law will be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, giving the attorney general the authority to investigate and take legal action against violators. The bill references federal definitions from the Fair Credit Reporting Act for key terms like "consumer report" and "consumer reporting agency" and provides clear enforcement mechanisms to protect consumers from having medical debt negatively impact their credit scores. The legislation is designed to help consumers by preventing medical debt from harming their credit standing, recognizing that medical expenses can be unexpected and burdensome.

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https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB0223&ga=114