{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/59.1-444.4.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/59.1-444.4.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/59.1-444.4.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/59.1-444.4.html"}],"law_id":373147,"edition_id":2,"section_id":373147,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.4","catch_line":"Reporting of medical debt prohibited; civil penalty","history":"2024, c. 751.","full_text":"A\n\nNo medical care facility listed in § 32.1-102.1:3, no person licensed or certified by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health Professions, and no emergency medical services agency, as defined in § 32.1-111.1, shall report any portion of a medical debt to a consumer reporting agency.\n\nB\n\nNo collection entity collecting or attempting to collect a medical debt shall report such collection or attempts to collect to a consumer reporting agency.\n\nC\n\nAny willful violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a prohibited practice pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-200 and shall be subject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of Chapter 17 (§ 59.1-196 et seq.).\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1392073,"text":"No medical care facility listed in § 32.1-102.1:3, no person licensed or certified by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health Professions, and no emergency medical services agency, as defined in § 32.1-111.1, shall report any portion of a medical debt to a consumer reporting agency.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1392074,"text":"No collection entity collecting or attempting to collect a medical debt shall report such collection or attempts to collect to a consumer reporting agency.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":1392075,"text":"Any willful violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a prohibited practice pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-200 and shall be subject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of Chapter 17 (§ 59.1-196 et seq.).","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":53108,"edition_id":2,"name":"Consumer Reporting Agencies","identifier":"35.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":40,"parent_id":53010,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:10:57","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:36:28","permalink":{"id":1488551,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":53108,"identifier":"35.1","token":"59.1\/35.1","url":"\/59.1\/35.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":53010,"edition_id":2,"name":"Trade and Commerce","identifier":"59.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":127,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":861,"child_structures":141},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:09:52","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:36:19","permalink":{"id":1486523,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":53010,"identifier":"59.1","token":"59.1","url":"\/59.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":373144,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/59.1-444.1\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.1","metadata":false},{"id":373145,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.2","catch_line":"Security freezes","url":"\/59.1-444.2\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.2","metadata":false},{"id":373146,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.3","catch_line":"Security freezes for protected consumers","url":"\/59.1-444.3\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.3","metadata":false},{"id":373147,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.4","catch_line":"Reporting of medical debt prohibited; civil penalty","url":"\/59.1-444.4\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.4","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":373146,"structure_id":53108,"section_number":"59.1-444.3","catch_line":"Security freezes for protected consumers","url":"\/59.1-444.3\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.3","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/59.1-444.4\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2024. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 751<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":372746,"section_number":"59.1-200","catch_line":"Prohibited practices","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-200\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":358890,"section_number":"32.1-102.1:3","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2028) Medical care facilities and projects for which a certificate is required","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-102.1_3\/"},{"id":358919,"section_number":"32.1-111.1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-111.1\/"},{"id":372741,"section_number":"59.1-196","catch_line":"Title","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-196\/"},{"id":372746,"section_number":"59.1-200","catch_line":"Prohibited practices","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-200\/"}],"permalink":{"id":1488565,"object_type":"law","relational_id":373147,"identifier":"59.1-444.4","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.4","url":"\/59.1-444.4\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/59.1-444.4\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.4","dublin_core":{"Title":"Reporting of medical debt prohibited; civil penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 59.1-444.4","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> No medical care facility listed in § 32.1-102.1:3<\/a>, no person licensed or certified by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health Professions, and no emergency medical services agency, as defined in § 32.1-111.1<\/a>, shall report any portion of a medical debt<\/span> to a consumer reporting agency<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> No collection entity<\/span> collecting or attempting to collect a medical debt<\/span> shall report such collection or attempts to collect to a consumer reporting agency<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Any willful violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a prohibited practice pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-200<\/a> and shall be subject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of Chapter 17 (§ 59.1-196<\/a> et seq.). <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREPORTING OF MEDICAL DEBT PROHIBITED; CIVIL PENALTY (\u00a7 59.1-444.4)\n\nA. No medical care facility listed in § 32.1-102.1:3, no person licensed or\ncertified by a health regulatory board within the Department of Health\nProfessions, and no emergency medical services agency, as defined in §\n32.1-111.1, shall report any portion of a medical debt to a consumer reporting\nagency.\n\nB. No collection entity collecting or attempting to collect a medical debt shall\nreport such collection or attempts to collect to a consumer reporting agency.\n\nC. Any willful violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a\nprohibited practice pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-200 and shall be\nsubject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of Chapter 17 (§\n59.1-196 et seq.).\n\nHISTORY: 2024, c. 751.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}