[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6125086,"mediaKeyId","2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3","parentId",2678681,"title","Committee Hears Bill to Bar Medical Debt from Credit Reports; Hospitals and Advocates Largely Support It","audioSeconds",4876,"startMs",420000,"endMs",5296000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3&start=420&end=5296","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3/thumbnail_420000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6125086/Washington/Committee-Hears-Bill-to-Bar-Medical-Debt-from-Credit-Reports-Hospitals-and-Advocates-Largely-Support-It","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125086-b3572d494d59684b2a3f6d66501e15e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183946&Signature=kvWx57aCduIUZ4Ems75I9u7vVH7Abcp3koSbY~TkK8xpYGNi4RS7MU7nsJZm680kUS7UZQP6qKEbaCgyQNEkURZLfw11Dax5RmsTkQWQ7rNgvyh88NeEtOW4DUB2wW0MAcnTM~YybfN8jthe66iPRl5HjQUfjTtskfIyWrxSkrk432nuZ4IfWlEEmByjcGJKzaunTaBSyF7NDhEYiqk2u~qPZgxjYpZemf1h2xfl2I3QChp1Ck0VSRFsP54TH9mFQQ9VKMfHybQwxEL0WRx7afYI4qjZPlHMujy6jirF7tcXT7N6kKCB8nLXDsxz0hgS65iXtOk2UsjGTLWogwVOWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Consumer Protection & Business","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee held a public hearing March 18 on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5480, a proposal to prohibit hospitals, physician groups, professional partners and collection agencies from reporting medical debt to consumer credit reporting agencies and to bar credit reporting agencies from including medical debt on consumers’ credit reports.

Megan Mulvihill, staff to the committee, described current practice: health care entities may sell or assign unpaid medical debt to collections, collections agencies may report debt to credit reporting agencies after statutorily enumerated days, and credit reporting affects access to housing, loans and employment decisions. “Engrossed substitute Senate Bill 5,480 modifies the definition of medical debt to mean debt owed by a consumer to a person whose primary business is providing medical services, products, or devices,” Mulvihill said, adding the bill excludes cosmetic surgery and does not apply to consumer lending decisions.

Under the bill as presented, medical bills — even those not past due or already paid — would not appear on consumer credit reports, and any medical debt reported to a credit reporting agency would be void and unenforceable, the staff report said. Enforcement is provided under the Consumer Protection Act as a per se violation.

Why it matters: witnesses said medical debt can destabilize households and that removing medical debt from credit files will increase access to housing, credit and employment. Hospitals, patient advocates and cancer and consumer groups urged passage; credit industry representatives and some policy analysts warned of potential side effects on cost allocation and provider payment incentives.

Patient advocates and legal services described harms from medical-debt reporting. Julia Kellison of Northwest Justice Project described clients subject to wage garnishment or bank levies after hospital debt went to collections. “Many clients have insurance but are underinsured,” Kellison said. “They come to our debt clinic having been sued by debt collectors on hospital debt they don't even know about because they qualify for hospital charity care that the hospital has failed to screen them for.”

Cancer and patient advocates supported the bill. Adam Zarin of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society described very high treatment costs and said medical debt should not determine a patient’s creditworthiness. Jeremy Griffin, a two-time cancer survivor, said he still carries tens of thousands of dollars in medical-related debt and supports removing medical debt from credit reports.

Hospitals and health systems told the committee many hospitals already prohibit reporting medical debt to credit bureaus and that Washington hospitals provide charity care. Teddy McGuire of Providence Health said Providence prohibits debt collectors it works with from reporting medical debt; Katrina LaMarche of the Washington State Hospital Association said hospitals provided $490 million in charity care in 2022 and supported the bill’s prohibition on medical-debt reporting.

Opposition and technical concerns: Chris Quigley of the Consumer Data Industry Association said the bill raises federal preemption concerns under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Elizabeth New of the Washington Policy Center cautioned the legislation could increase default rates and shift costs, potentially increasing upfront payment requirements.

Committee members asked whether the bill would prevent lenders from considering evidence of paid medical bills when making lending decisions; staff said the bill addresses only what shows up on a consumer’s credit report and does not govern lending practices. Members also asked whether the bill would apply retrospectively to medical debt already on credit reports; staff said the bill contains the standard 90-day effective date and does not specify how current items would be handled.

Status: the bill received wide public testimony and a mix of stakeholder letters; committee members asked staff to follow up on definition issues raised by representatives about whether some independent providers are covered. No committee vote was taken at this meeting.

Ending: proponents urged the committee to adopt state-level protections to backstop a federal rule that is currently subject to litigation; staff encouraged interested parties to submit written comments and suggested the committee may consider technical amendments addressing definitions and enforcement.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Consumer Protection & Business - 3/18/2025 1:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee held a public hearing March 18 on ESSB 5480, which would prohibit hospitals, physician groups and collection agencies from reporting medical debt to consumer credit reporting agencies.","taxTitle","Consumer Protection & Business, House of Representatives, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20258,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125090,"Committee Hears ‘Right to Repair’ Bill for Wheelchairs as Users, Providers Describe Long Delays",1778,2000,1780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3&start=2&end=1780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3/thumbnail_2000.jpg","/articles/6125090/Washington/Committee-Hears-Right-to-Repair-Bill-for-Wheelchairs-as-Users-Providers-Describe-Long-Delays","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125090-61ba954814b366e28f312fa98ce393f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183946&Signature=YzRdseU1LH9l3dYqGg5coxsgkSL-6XsqWDcwgyeFGM2bLD5D0uo8qzdOLsq6NF8Sb67phhnJbYCZJsH3mioL8tN~u0eMLYCanWgSKZyj7sDhSNbCaytYYSYYwjcf4ec23UY1vkCO03QXrvit~wrBNjBWcbPqI8RR9W9BBgkRD8UgmDmVTMlLdP6wVtXR29kmZ6F2X7eYLGEEBuwhg47DM4a1mDB9bSrXuxSfKdGV5Co8brYroFQ8XNvNYgGblkOx2IzOZSAeTjIrQIJH-Y5LJyNKPfFlRib8KEhGSXbJBFIe0P3--F9h~HFEZtbZt~5uK3kbLMZKXgU5ZdkVwi3LNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee heard public testimony March 18 on Senate Bill 5680, a proposal that would require original equipment manufacturers to make parts, diagnostic tools, embedded software and documentation available on “fair and reasonable terms” to independent repair providers and owners of mobility devices, including power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters and power-assist devices.

Megan Mulvihill, staff to the committee, summarized the bill in the staff report and said it is the companion to House Bill 1826 and that the two bills contain no differences. “Senate Bill 5,680 requires an original equipment manufacturer to make available on fair and reasonable terms to any independent repair provider or owner of a mobility device any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools that are intended for use with the mobility device or any part, including updates,” Mulvihill said.

The bill would also make it a per se violation of the Consumer Protection Act for covered parties to deny required access, with enforcement provided by the state Attorney General, Mulvihill said. The staff report listed several exceptions: manufacturers would not be required to sell parts no longer available, would not have to disclose trade secrets, and the bill would not alter agreements between manufacturers and authorized repair providers.

Why it matters: disability advocates, users and nonprofit providers told the committee that long repair waits can leave people unable to leave their homes, cause pressure sores and other health problems, and reduce employment and community access. Multiple witnesses described waits measured in weeks to months and urged the committee to expand repair options for people who rely on mobility equipment as an essential daily device.

Marsha Cutting, who testified in person, described being stranded when her wheelchair failed and said loaner equipment can be unsuitable. “When our chairs break down, we have none of those options,” Cutting said. “Unless we have a functioning backup chair, which is almost never covered by insurance, we are just stuck at home or in some cases, stuck in our beds.”

Matthew Clark, a wheelchair user who testified remotely, said he developed a pressure sore after waiting weeks for recommended positioning hardware. “I developed a pressure sore while I was waiting that I ended up having to be hospitalized,” Clark said. “That pressure sore is why I'm not able to testify in person today.”

Nonprofit providers and repair groups told the committee they already perform many repairs but lack manufacturer parts, diagnostic information and test tools that would allow safer, faster fixes. Jerry Rhodes, founder and CEO of a nonprofit that provides durable medical equipment, said his organization has repaired more than 2,500 electric wheelchairs over 28 years and that in the last year their branches repaired and issued more than 12,000 items of equipment; 210 of those were electric wheelchairs and scooters. “Obtaining detailed repair information will allow us to more closely assure our repairs meet OEM standard,” Rhodes said.

Advocacy groups and state panels also supported the bill. Elizabeth Gordon of the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment noted that power chairs can cost more than $30,000 and are typically individually fitted. “When a wheelchair is broken, people cannot leave their homes or often even get out of bed independently,” Gordon said.

Several witnesses cited survey data describing widespread repair delays. Cecilia Black of Disability Rights Washington cited a 2022 U.S. Public Interest Research Group survey that found 62 percent of wheelchair users waited four or more weeks for repairs and 40 percent waited seven weeks or longer. Laura McCready, representing a state-based public-interest group, said a national survey of 141 wheelchair users found 93 percent needed servicing in the previous year and 68 percent waited four or more weeks, with some waiting more than six months.

Concerns from clinicians: clinicians and clinician groups who testified urged a narrow exception for the most complex chairs, which are individually prescribed and fitted by occupational and physical therapists together with assistive-technology professionals. Wayne Grau of the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technologies said a “quarter of an inch adjustment can make a world of difference” for patients with traumatic brain injury, ALS, spinal-cord injury or similar conditions, and asked the committee to consider narrowly tailored exemptions or pre-repair clinical checks for specific seating components.

Supporters and several wheelchair users countered that most repairs are to propulsion and control components — motors, batteries, casters and joysticks — and that most users and experienced independent shops could safely perform or contract for those repairs if given access to parts and documentation. “There’s a shortage of available repair providers,” Laura McCready said. “It ought to be your choice what to do with your own chair.”

Committee response and status: committee members asked about exceptions for users with loss of sensation and about whether clinical involvement would create additional co-pays or delay repairs. Witnesses said the policy work is ongoing; advocates said they are drafting language to preserve necessary clinical safeguards while widening repair access.

The committee suspended the public hearing after testimony; no committee vote on the bill was taken during this meeting.

Ending: supporters said they will continue negotiations to refine clinical exceptions and liability language; committee staff and witnesses asked interested parties to submit written testimony and proposed amendment language for the record.","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee heard public testimony March 18 on Senate Bill 5680, which would require manufacturers to make parts, software and documentation available to independent repair providers and owners of mobility devices.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125076,"Committee Reports Two Consumer Protection Bills Out of Committee by Voice Vote",3,5495000,5498000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3&start=5495&end=5498","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3/thumbnail_5495000.jpg","/articles/6125076/Washington/Committee-Reports-Two-Consumer-Protection-Bills-Out-of-Committee-by-Voice-Vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125076-a030d507ee7320623f6f3f8820ff1762/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183946&Signature=ZZtqJGAcSD-tsp7eFuJun9nEQtNd6A6Ju~dZb4K8qHHWB4L0AzFaod1-42-RlbhDOHp8di13B0a2Lj1xi9wLTSaFaGnJUz20vtLl8ZsRXaogVEIWzRhaRt-RACf3Xqv0JL0KbKCfpU2EVu0wwBaJduc~tDH~OEjAr4M14qqRH~iRnFQhoVo8kVnYup~7Ea8DFvB7VYW4udiZB44aayUk2Ye6edb4-laf0uN9dXVzJF~37R5XVp4xpkGJCPW12dmT0nMd9zW8DtWTSh01XJf5VGL1gWjTvR4CGTdhlZW4W6mLCQwANhr0565Fh0UHS--MkL2jtzQfpHpRc4tGIw~8Uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee took executive action March 18 and reported two Senate bills out of committee with due pass recommendations.

Representative Reeves moved that Senate Bill 5108 be reported out of committee with a due pass recommendation. The committee adopted the motion by voice vote. Committee staff announced the result as 14 ayes, 0 nays and 1 excused; Representative Volz was recorded as excused.

Representative Reeves then moved that Senate Bill 5141 be reported out of committee with a due pass recommendation. That motion was also adopted by voice vote; staff announced the vote as 14 ayes, 0 nays and 1 excused.

Both measures carried without amendment during the session’s recorded executive action. The committee did not record individual member roll-call votes in the transcript; the meeting minutes list only the voice vote tallies and the excused member.","During executive action the Consumer Protection & Business Committee reported Senate Bill 5108 and Senate Bill 5141 out of committee with due pass recommendations; both moved by Representative Reeves and approved by voice vote (14–0 with 1 excused).",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125081,"Committee Hears Bill to Bar Bail Agents from Enforcing Civil Immigration Warrants",631,2887000,3518000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3&start=2887&end=3518","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678681-596174bc2dbe87e6a6809ef04c567fd3/thumbnail_2887000.jpg","/articles/6125081/Washington/Committee-Hears-Bill-to-Bar-Bail-Agents-from-Enforcing-Civil-Immigration-Warrants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125081-6383aeb1fb5e717029a0dd2f6d4b9991/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183946&Signature=amS4trJkz1RiEviqN1dww2o~y~92z8zFGzu39SEfnInpjM1PE42nH-byFpjQWMnh8Ceg5NPhmcqZWBoguK7-FmRfVlFmG2zGxxKJoRN7-Y-LtTUbPA~oj2po8t2XOTV8rBruNMjE0C8Ndm8qRKJvGSy~0oOK8jWDoP~1~Fo34i5swaIe9n2mUoFsA2XkV6ueWTT0K6YR2H0DWlvsckV80FSN~35S6rJrJGow2lM1uWbXcQ6~AUqt4Xdt-K4oGfvd38cTvC8DhL823mCnk3OhhOCCWA68LQhzfIfu0cfeoVkpQ71WHhb5KiGVF9mGztP2qGFkCq-kmNnRlHYEJbPAxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Consumer Protection & Business Committee heard staff briefing and received public testimony March 18 on Substitute Senate Bill 5714, a measure that would declare certain immigration-enforcement actions by bail bond agencies and bail bond recovery agents to be unprofessional conduct under state law.

Peter Clodfelter, committee staff, said Washington licenses and regulates bail bond agencies, bail bond agents and bail bond recovery agents through the Department of Licensing. He summarized the bill’s principal provisions: it would make it unprofessional conduct for a bail bond recovery agent to use their position to enforce a federal civil immigration warrant, and it would bar bail bond licensees from sharing a defendant’s immigration status with people outside the bail bond agency. Failure to comply could subject a licensee to existing disciplinary processes administered by the Department of Licensing, including fines, suspension or revocation.

Shoma Lahiri Gupta, immigration-advocacy manager with OneAmerica, testified in support. “If bail bond agents have the freedom to share an individual's immigration status to anyone, that individual would be subject to a greater risk of family separation, immigration detention, or deportation,” Lahiri Gupta said. She urged the committee to advance the bill to protect immigrant and refugee communities.

Why it matters: supporters said the bill would protect people being processed through criminal courts from collateral immigration consequences and preserve trust between immigrant communities and the courts. Clodfelter's staff briefing noted that the Department of Licensing currently may discipline licensees for other categories of unprofessional conduct; SB 5714 would add these immigration-related acts to the regulated list.

Questions from committee members focused on scope and amendment possibilities. Representative Morgan asked whether members could propose technical amendments and whether the title’s scope could constrain amendments; staff said members could propose amendments but advised caution about title-scope rules. No committee vote was taken during the hearing.

Ending: public testimony was limited and committee staff requested written testimony for the record; the bill remains at the public hearing stage pending any amendments and further committee consideration.","Substitute Senate Bill 5714 would make it unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents or recovery agents to use their position to enforce civil immigration warrants or to share defendants’ immigration status outside the agency; the Department of Licensing would have disciplinary authority. Supporters called the bill necessary to protect immigrant ","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee Hears Bill to Bar Medical Debt from Credit Reports; Hospitals and Advocates Largely Support It

Committee Hears ‘Right to Repair’ Bill for Wheelchairs as Users, Providers Describe Long Delays

Committee Reports Two Consumer Protection Bills Out of Committee by Voice Vote

Committee Hears Bill to Bar Bail Agents from Enforcing Civil Immigration Warrants