InfoBytes Blog
Washington state amends debt collection laws
On April 30, the Washington state governor signed HB 1531 and HB 1066, which amend certain state debt collection laws. HB 1531 covers medical debt and among other things, outlines certain requirements for medical debt collection notices, including providing information regarding the medical creditor, the date(s) of service, and the health care services provided. The notice must also include the principal amount of the debt incurred, interests and fees, and the amount of any payments already received. HB 1531 also prohibits a collector from reporting any adverse information regarding the medical debt to credit reporting agencies until at least 180 days after the obligation with [was?] received by the collector and limits prejudgment interest to nine percent. Additionally, HB 1066 prevents a debt collector from serving a debtor with a court summons unless the summons and complaint are first filed with the appropriate court and bear a case number assigned by the court. The amendments both take effect July 28.