HB 178 — An Act relating to medical debt and consumer credit reporting agencies; relating to discriminatory practices based on the medical debt of a person; and providing for an effective date.

34-LS0569\I34-LS0569\N CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO.

178(L&C)178 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION BY THEREPRESENTATIVE HOUSEMINA LABORIntroduced: AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE Referred:

Finance4/9/25 Sponsor(s):Referred:

REPRESENTATIVELabor MINAand Commerce, Finance A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED "An Act relating to medical debt and consumer credit reporting agencies;

AS 18.80.24018.80.220(a) is amended by adding new subsections to read:

(b)(a) ItExcept as provided in (c) of this section, it is unlawful for the(1) owner,an lessee,employer manager,to refuse employment to a person, or otherto bar a person havingfrom theemployment, rightor to leasediscriminate oragainst renta residentialperson realin propertycompensation (1)or toin refusea toterm, leasecondition, or rentprivilege of employment because of the realperson's propertyrace, toreligion, acolor, personor national origin, because of the person's medical debt;debt, or because of the person's age, physical or mental disability, sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood when the reasonable demands of the position do not require distinction on the basis of age, physical or mental disability, sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood;

HB0178a -1- HB 178 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0569\N (2) a labor organization, because of a person's sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, religion, physical or mental disability, color, [OR] national origin, or medical debt, to exclude or to expel a person from its membership, or to discriminate in any way against one of its members or an employer or an employee;

(3) an employer or employment agency to print or circulate or cause to be printed or circulated a statement, advertisement, or publication, or to use a form of application for employment or to make an inquiry in connection with prospective employment, that expresses, directly or indirectly, a limitation, specification, or discrimination as to sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, creed, color, [OR] national origin, or medical debt, or an intent to make the limitation, unless based on [UPON] a bona fide occupational qualification;

(4) an employer, labor organization, or employment agency to discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against a person because the person has opposed any practices forbidden under AS 18.80.200 - 18.80.280 or because the person has filed a complaint, testified, or assisted in a proceeding under this chapter;

(5) an employer to discriminate in the payment of wages as between the sexes, or to employ a female in an occupation in this state at a salary or wage rate less than that paid to a male employee for work of comparable character or work in the same operation, business, or type of work in the same locality;

or (6) a person to print, publish, broadcast, or otherwise circulate a statement, inquiry, or advertisement in connection with prospective employment that expresses directly a limitation, specification, or discrimination as to sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, religion, color, [OR] national origin, or medical debt, unless based on [UPON] a bona fide occupational qualification.

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2.

AS 18.80.240 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(b) It is unlawful for the owner, lessee, manager, or other person having the right to lease or rent residential real property (1) to refuse to lease or rent the real property to a person because of the HB 178 -2- HB0178a New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0569\N person's medical debt;

HB0178b -1- CSHB 178(L&C) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0569\I (4) to represent to a person that the real property is not available for inspection, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to refuse to allow a person to inspect the real property because of the person's medical debt;

(c) In this section, "medical debt" has the meaning given in AS 45.48.800(c).

2.3.

AS 18.80.300 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read:

(19) "medical debt" has the meaning given in AS 45.85.800(c).

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4.

(2) "medical debt" means an obligation for the payment of money arising out of an agreement or contract, express or implied, for the provision of health HB0178a -3- HB 178 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0569\N care services, products, or devices;

(B) purchases medical debt from an entity that provides health CSHB 178(L&C) -2- HB0178b New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS0569\I care services.

3.5.

HB0178bHB -3-178 CSHB-4- 178(L&C)HB0178a New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]