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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 1168

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: medical debt abolition and making an appropriation. (FE)

Debt and debtors Health services department of — Administration Hospitals and health care facilities Legislature — Tax exemptions joint survey committee on Organization miscellaneous

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill provides $10,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Department of Health Services to purchase eligible residents’ medical debt from commercial debt collectors and health care providers and abolish the medical debt. Under the bill, DHS must abolish medical debt in a manner that minimizes the effect on the eligible resident’s tax liability and may not seek payment from an eligible resident for their medical debt. The bill also excludes from the calculation of state income tax any amount of a taxpayer’s indebtedness discharged under the bill.

Because this bill relates to an exemption from state or local taxes, it may be referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions for a report to be printed as an appendix to the bill.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Arney (D) , Bare (D) , Cruz (D) , Haywood (D) , Hong (D) , Joers (D) , Johnson (D) , Madison (D) , Miresse (D) , Neubauer (D) , Phelps (D) , Prado (D) , Sinicki (D) , Stubbs (D) , Subeck (D) , Taylor (D) , Tenorio (D)

1 cosponsors

Drake (D)

Full history

  1. Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Prado, Miresse, Arney, Bare, Cruz, Haywood, Hong, Joers, Madison, Neubauer, Phelps, Sinicki, Subeck, Stubbs, Tenorio, Johnson and Taylor; cosponsored by Senator Drake

  2. Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care

  3. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  4. Apr 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received