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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1337
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 5031
Referred to Committee on BANKING
Introduced by:
(BA)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE SUSPENSION OF DEBT COLLECTION
ACTIVITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN PROBLEM GAMBLING
PROGRAMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Claim" means a right to receive payment of a debt; 2
(2) "Creditor" means an individual or entity that has, or purports to 3
have, a claim against a debtor, and includes a consumer collection 4
agency, as defined in section 36a-800 of the general statutes; 5
(3) "Collection activities" means any activities of a creditor to collect 6
or attempt to collect a debt owed, due or asserted to be owed or due, 7
including, but not limited to, commencing or proceeding with an action 8
in a court of competent jurisdiction; 9
(4) "Debt" means an unsecured debt, or any portion of an unsecured 10
debt, incurred on or after January 1, 2026, for personal, family or 11
household use; 12
Raised Bill No. 1337
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(5) "Debtor" means an individual against whom a creditor asserts a 13
claim; and 14
(6) "Problem gambling program" means a program that provides 15
treatment or rehabilitation for chronic gamblers or supports individuals 16
recovering from problem gambling. 17
(b) If a debtor notifies a creditor that the debtor is engaged in a 18
problem gambling program, the creditor shall suspend for a period of 19
thirty calendar days all collection activities that concern a debt owed to 20
the creditor by the debtor. At the conclusion of such thirty-day period, 21
the creditor may recommence collection activities concerning such debt. 22
Upon recommencing such collection activities, the creditor shall notify 23
the debtor that such collection activities are being recommenced. 24
(c) Any statute of limitations that may apply to a creditor's claim 25
relating to a debt, the collection of which is suspended by the creditor 26
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, shall be tolled for the duration 27
of the thirty-day period during which the claimant suspends collection 28
activities relating to such debt. 29
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 January 1, 2026 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To establish that if a debtor notifies a creditor that the debtor is engaged
in a problem gambling program, the creditor shall suspend collection
activities for a period of thirty calendar days.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]