Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Amendment Act of 2025

Healthcare Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Mendelson
Last action: 2025-03-18
Official status: Under Council Review
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is currently under Council review and has been referred to the Committee on Health; it is not yet law.

Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Amendment Act of 2025

This bill stops health care entities from charging fees for medical records needed to support claims or appeals under the Social Security Act or other needs-based benefit programs.

What This Bill Does

Amends the District of Columbia Health Occupations Revision Act of 1985.
Prohibits health care entities from charging fees for copies of personal medical records in specific cases.
Applies to records requested by patients, their representatives, legal aid workers, or attorneys representing them.
Requires that these free records be used only to support claims or appeals under the Social Security Act or other federal or District needs-based benefit programs.

Who It Names or Affects

Health care entities in the District of Columbia
Patients requesting medical records for benefit applications
Personal representatives, legal aid workers, and attorneys representing patients

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not take effect until approved by the Mayor (or if vetoed, overridden by the Council), followed by a 30-day congressional review period and publication in the District of Columbia Register.
The text only covers fees for records used to support benefit claims or appeals; other record requests may still have costs.

Bill History

2025-03-18 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Referred to Committee on Health
2025-03-14 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0167 Published in the District of Columbia Register
2025-03-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
B26-0167 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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VeMeal —ChairmanPhilMendelson
ABILL
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
‘ToamendtheDistrictofColumbiaHealthOccupationsRevisionActof1985toprohibithealth
careentitiesfromchargingafeeforpersonalmedicalrecordsrequestedbyanindividual
tosupportaclaimorappealunderanyprovisionoftheSocialSecurityActorfrom
chargingafeeforanyotherfederalorDistrictneeds-basedbenefitorprogram.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
actmaybecitedasthe“PersonalMedicalRecordFeeExemptionAmendmentActof2025”.
Sec.2.Section101a oftheDistrictofColumbiaHealthOccupationsRevisionActof
1985, March 25, 1986 (D.C. Law 24-290; D.C. Official Code § 3-1210.12) is amended as
follows:
(2)Subsection(b)isamendedtoreadasfollows:
“(b)Exceptasprovidedinsubsection(c-1)ofthissection,ahealthcareentitymay
requireanauthorizedpersontopay.”
(b)Anewsubsection(¢-1)isaddedtoreadasfollows:
“(c-1)(1)Ahealthcareentitymaynotchargethefeesenumeratedinsubsection(b)ofthis
sectionforprovidingcopiesofpersonalmedicalrecordsrequestedby:
~ (A)Thepatientorclient;
“(B)Thepatientorclient’spersonalrepresentative:
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“(C) An employee or other representative of a nonprofit legal services 34
entity representing the patient or client; or 35
(D) An attorney representing the patient or client; and 36
“(2) That will be used to support a claim or appeal under any provision of the 37
Social Security Act or for any other federal or District needs-based benefit or program.”. 38
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 39
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 40
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 41
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 42
Sec. 4. Effective date. 43
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 44
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 45
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 46
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code §1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 47
Columbia Register. 48