I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7515 

To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to delay the inclusion in consumer 

credit reports and to establish requirements for debt collectors with 

respect to medical debt information of Native Americans due to inappropriate or delayed billing payments or reimbursements from the Indian 

Health Service, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2024 

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota (for himself, Ms. SCHRIER, Mrs. RODGERS of 

Washington, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, and Mr. ZINKE) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to delay the inclusion in consumer credit reports and to establish requirements for debt collectors with respect to medical debt 

information of Native Americans due to inappropriate 

or delayed billing payments or reimbursements from the 

Indian Health Service, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Native 

5 Americans’ Credit Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT. 

2 (a) NATIVE AMERICAN’S MEDICAL DEBT DE3 FINED.—Section 603 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 

4 U.S.C. 1681a) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(bb) NATIVE AMERICAN.—The term ‘Native Amer7 ican’ has the meaning given the term ‘Indians’ or ‘Indian’ 

8 in section 1603 of title 25, United States Code, and fur9 ther includes the term ‘California Indian’ as defined in 

10 that section. 

11 ‘‘(cc) NATIVE AMERICAN’S MEDICAL DEBT.—The 

12 term ‘Native American’s medical debt’— 

13 ‘‘(1) means a debt of a Native American arising 

14 from health care provided in a non-Indian Health 

15 Service facility that was authorized by an employee 

16 of the Indian Health Service; and 

17 ‘‘(2) includes medical debt that the Secretary of 

18 Health and Human Services has wrongfully charged 

19 a Native American.’’. 

20 (b) EXCLUSION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN’S MEDICAL

21 DEBT.—Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act 

22 (15 U.S.C. 1681c) is amended by adding at the end the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(9) Any information related to a Native Amer25 ican’s medical debt if the date on which the hospital 


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1 care or medical services was rendered relating to the 

2 debt antedates the report by less than 1 year. 

3 ‘‘(10) Any information related to a fully paid or 

4 settled Native American’s medical debt that had 

5 been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in 

6 collection.’’. 

7 (c) REMOVAL OF NATIVE AMERICAN’S MEDICAL

8 DEBT FROM CONSUMER REPORT.—Section 611 of the 

9 Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681i) is amend10 ed— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(A) by striking ‘‘and ex12 cept as provided in subsection (g)’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘and except as provided in subsections (g) and (h)’’; 

14 and 

15 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(h) DISPUTE PROCESS FOR NATIVE AMERICAN’S

17 MEDICAL DEBT.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a Native 

19 American’s medical debt of a consumer, the con20 sumer may submit a notice along with proof of li21 ability of the Department of Health and Human 

22 Services for payment of that debt or documentation 

23 that the Indian Health Service is in the process of 

24 making payment for authorized medical services ren25 dered to a consumer reporting agency or a reseller 


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1 to dispute the inclusion of that debt on a consumer 

2 report of the consumer. 

3 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION TO NATIVE AMERICAN.— 

4 The Department of Health and Human Services 

5 shall submit to a Native American a notice that the 

6 Department of Health and Human Services has as7 sumed liability for part or all of a Native American’s 

8 medical debt. 

9 ‘‘(3) DELETION OF INFORMATION FROM

10 FILE.—If a notice and proof of liability or docu11 mentation is received under paragraph (1), the con12 sumer reporting agency shall delete all information 

13 relating to the Native American’s medical debt from 

14 the file of the consumer and notify the furnisher and 

15 the consumer of that deletion.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

17 The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 

18 on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment 

19 of this Act. 

Æ 


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