Vermont H. 112: An act relating to automobile advertising

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.112
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H.112 1
Introduced by Representatives Black of Essex, Arsenault of Williston, 2
Berbeco of Winooski, Birong of Vergennes, Bishop of 3
Colchester, Bluemle of Burlington, Bos-Lun of Westminster, 4
Brown of Richmond, Burkhardt of South Burlington, Burrows 5
of West Windsor, Campbell of St. Johnsbury, Carris-Duncan of 6
Whitingham, Casey of Montpelier, Cina of Burlington, Coffin 7
of Cavendish, Cole of Hartford, Critchlow of Colchester, Demar 8
of Enosburgh, Eastes of Guilford, Garofano of Essex, Goldman 9
of Rockingham, Graning of Jericho, Greer of Bennington, 10
Holcombe of Norwich, Hooper of Randolph, Hooper of 11
Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Hunter of Manchester, 12
Kleppner of Burlington, Krasnow of South Burlington, LaMont 13
of Morristown, Logan of Burlington, Long of Newfane, 14
McFaun of Barre Town, McGill of Bridport, Mrowicki of 15
Putney, Noyes of Wolcott, Nugent of South Burlington, O'Brien 16
of Tunbridge, Ode of Burlington, Page of Newport City, Pouech 17
of Hinesburg, Powers of Waterford, Rachelson of Burlington, 18
Satcowitz of Randolph, Stevens of Waterbury, Stone of 19
Burlington, Tomlinson of Winooski, Torre of Moretown, 20

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Waszazak of Barre City, Waters Evans of Charlotte, Wood of 1
Waterbury, and Yacovone of Morristown 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Health; consumer protection; credit reporting; medical debt 5
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to direct the 6
State Treasurer to contract with an entity to acquire and abolish certain medical 7
debts for Vermonters with incomes at or below 400 percent of the federal 8
poverty level or who owe medical debt equal to five percent or more of their 9
household income. The bill would also prohibit credit reporting agencies from 10
reporting or maintaining information on Vermonters’ medical debt and would 11
prohibit health care providers from reporting medical debt to credit reporting 12
agencies. 13
An act relating to medical debt relief and excluding medical debt from 14
credit reports 15
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 16
Sec. 1. STATE TREASURER; MEDICAL DEBT RELIEF; 17
APPROPRIATION 18
(a) The sum of $1,000,000.00 is appropriated to the State Treasurer from 19
the General Fund in fiscal year 2026 for the purpose of contracting with a 20

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nonprofit entity to acquire and repay certain medical debts incurred by 1
Vermont residents as set forth in this section. 2
(b) The State Treasurer shall ensure that the entity with which the Treasurer 3
contracts under this section will: 4
(1) purchase the medical debt of eligible debtors from health care 5
providers at fair market value; 6
(2) abolish the debt with no cost or tax consequences for the debtor; and 7
(3) coordinate with the health care provider or collections agency to 8
ensure that any adverse information resulting from the medical debt is removed 9
from the debtor’s consumer credit report following the contractor’s purchase 10
and abolition of the debt. 11
(c) In order to be eligible for repayment of medical debt under this section, 12
the following conditions must be met: 13
(1) the debtor shall be a Vermont resident who either has a household 14
income that is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level for the 15
applicable household size or who owes medical debt in an amount that is five 16
percent or more of the debtor’s household income; and 17
(2) the debtor’s patient account still maintains an outstanding balance 18
even after the health care provider has completed its routine efforts to collect 19
the amounts due. 20

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Sec. 2. 2022 Acts and Resolves No. 83, Sec. 53(b)(5)(B), as amended by 2022 1
Acts and Resolves No. 185, Sec. C.102 and 2023 Acts and Resolves No. 78, 2
Sec. E.1000, is further amended to read: 3
(B) $20,000,000 $19,000,000 shall be appropriated to the State 4
Treasurer’s Office and used for redeeming State of Vermont general obligation 5
bonds prior to maturity. 6
Sec. 3. 9 V.S.A. § 2466d is added to read: 7
§ 2466d. REPORTING OF MEDICAL DEBT INFORMATION 8
PROHIBITED 9
A credit reporting agency shall not report or maintain in the file on a 10
consumer information relating to a medical debt, as defined in 18 V.S.A. 11
§ 9481. 12
Sec. 4. 9 V.S.A. § 2480b is amended to read: 13
§ 2480b. DISCLOSURES TO CONSUMERS 14
* * * 15
(c) Any time a credit reporting agency is required to make a written 16
disclosure to consumers pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1681g, it shall disclose, in at 17
least 12-point type, and in bold type as indicated, the following notice: 18
“NOTICE TO VERMONT CONSUMERS 19
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(2) Under Vermont law, no one may access your credit report without 1
your permis