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B26-0167 • 2025

Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Amendment Act of 2025

Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Amendment Act of 2025

Healthcare
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

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Personal Medical Record Fee Exemption Act

This act prohibits healthcare providers from charging fees for personal medical records when requested to support a claim or appeal under the Social Security Act or other federal and District needs-based programs.

What This Bill Does

  • It changes rules about how much healthcare providers can charge for copies of personal medical records.
  • Healthcare providers cannot ask for money if someone wants their medical records to help with a Social Security claim or appeal.
  • The same rule applies when people need these records for other federal or District programs that give benefits based on needs.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who use healthcare services in the District of Columbia
  • Healthcare providers and entities in the District of Columbia

Terms To Know

Personal Medical Records
Medical information about a patient that is kept by a doctor or hospital.
Social Security Act
A federal law that provides benefits like retirement, disability, and survivorship payments to eligible individuals.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only applies to healthcare providers in the District of Columbia.
  • It does not specify how much it will cost or save the government.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-18 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Referred to Committee on Health

  2. 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

  3. 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