Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-NEW

Current with legislation from the 2024 Regular and Special Sessions.

Section 36a-NEW - [Newly enacted section not yet numbered] [Effective 1/1/2025] Definitions

As used in this section and sections 2 and 3 of this act:

(1) "Claim" means a right to receive payment of a credit card debt;

(2) "Claimant" means an entity that has, or purports to have, a claim against a debtor arising from coerced debt or allegedly coerced debt, and includes a consumer collection agency, as defined in section 36a-800 of the general statutes, to collect said debt, or such entity's successor or assignee;

(3) "Coerced debt" means any debt incurred in the name of a debtor who is a victim of domestic violence, as defined in subsection (b) of section 46b-1 of the general statutes, when such debt was incurred in response to any duress, intimidation, threat of force, force or undue influence used to specifically coerce the debtor into incurring such debt;

(4) "Collection activities" means any activity of a claimant to collect or to attempt to collect a debt owed, due or asserted to be owed or due, including, but not limited to, commencing or proceeding with an action in a court of competent jurisdiction;

(5) "Credit rating agency" has the same meaning as provided in section 36a-695 of the general statutes;

(6) "Debt" means an unsecured credit card debt, or any portion of an unsecured credit card debt, incurred on or after January 1, 2025, for personal, family or household use that (A) was not subject to a final judgment in an action for dissolution of marriage or collection matter which occurred prior to the time when a debtor requests that the claimant waive such debt; or (B) was incurred more than ten years prior to the date of the request;

(7) "Debtor" means an individual against whom a claimant asserts a claim arising from coerced debt or allegedly coerced debt;

(8) "Immediate family member" has the same meaning as provided in section 36a-485 of the general statutes;

(9) "Negative information" has the same meaning as provided in 15 USC 1681s-2, as amended from time to time;

(10) "Qualified third-party professional" means a domestic violence counselor or sexual assault counselor, as those terms are defined in section 52-146k of the general statutes, a psychiatrist licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes, a psychologist licensed under chapter 383 of the general statutes, a clinical social worker licensed under chapter 383b of the general statutes, a marital and family therapist licensed under chapter 383a of the general statutes and a professional counselor licensed under chapter 383c of the general statutes; and

(11) "Requests that the claimant waive such debt" means a request that a claimant waive, forgive, excuse, write off or not collect a debt or portion of a debt.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-NEW

Added by P.A. 24-0077,S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2024 Regular Session, eff. 1/1/2025.