[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6240. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. PROTECTION FROM TREATMENT-RELATED CREDIT HARM.

       (a) Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act.--
       (1) Medical debt defined.--Section 603 of the Fair Credit 
     Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(bb) Medical Debt.--The term `medical debt' means a debt 
     arising from the receipt of medical services, products, or 
     devices.''.
       (2) Exclusion for medical debt.--
       (A) In general.--Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit 
     Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)) is amended by striking 
     paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
       ``(6)(A) Any adverse information related to a medical debt, 
     including a medical debt that was placed for collection, 
     charged to profit or loss, or subjected to any similar 
     action.
       ``(B) Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to 
     prevent a consumer reporting agency from collecting the 
     information described in that subparagraph.''.
       (B) Technical and conforming amendments.--Section 604(g) of 
     the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681b(g)) is 
     amended--
       (i) in paragraph (1)--

       (I) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``(other than medical contact information treated in the 
     manner required under section 605(a)(6))'';
       (II) in subparagraph (A), by adding ``or'' at the end;
       (III) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``; or'' and 
     inserting a period; and
       (IV) by striking subparagraph (C); and

       (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(other than medical 
     information treated in the manner required under section 
     605(a)(6))''.
       (b) Modification of Regulations Relating to Prohibitions on 
     Use of Medical Debt Information.--
       (1) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms ``credit'' 
     and ``creditor'' have the meanings given those terms in 
     section 702 of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 
     1691a).
       (2) Requirement.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of Consumer 
     Financial Protection shall amend section 1022.30 of title 12, 
     Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation, to 
     ensure that creditors are prohibited from obtaining or using 
     information relating to the medical debt of a consumer in 
     determining whether or not to extend credit to that consumer.
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