SAIPAN – Representative Vincent R. “Kobre” Aldan has introduced HB 24-59, the CNMI Fair Billing Practices Act, a measure he says is intended to protect Commonwealth consumers from unfair retroactive billing while preserving the lawful right of service providers to recover valid unpaid charges.
The legislation seeks to establish clearer standards around back billing in the Commonwealth, where families, small businesses, seniors and working households have faced surprise back bills, delayed charges and estimated billing tied to what the bill’s supporters describe as provider-side failures.
HB 24-59 would limit back billing to reasonable timeframes, require written notice and itemized billing disclosures, restrict estimated and averaged billing practices, and protect consumers from billing caused by provider negligence, poor recordkeeping or operational failures. The bill also creates dispute-resolution protections and preserves lawful recovery in cases of fraud, tampering or unauthorized use.
Supporters say the measure does not eliminate lawful collection authority, does not erase valid debts and does not conflict with federal law. According to the release, the bill was drafted to complement existing federal and Commonwealth consumer-protection principles.
“This bill is about fairness,” Aldan said. “The people of the Commonwealth should not be financially punished for preventable institutional failures. If providers maintain accurate systems, conduct proper inspections, keep reliable records, and bill in a timely manner, this law should pose little burden. But when preventable failures occur, the public deserves protection.”
The legislation has faced opposition from entities arguing that operational complexity requires broader billing flexibility. The release said the Legislature has already incorporated accommodations and operational safeguards into the measure, including implementation flexibility, narrow exceptions, healthcare considerations and dispute protections.
At its core, the bill asks who should bear the financial consequences of preventable provider-side billing failures. It answers by setting a framework rooted in accountability, transparency, fairness, due process and consumer protection.
Supporters describe HB 24-59 as pro-accountability, pro-transparency, pro-ratepayer, pro-consumer and pro-public trust, and not opposed to utilities, healthcare or business interests.
“The people deserve transparency. The people deserve accountability. The people deserve fairness,” Aldan said. “HB 24-59 is a call for justice and responsible governance.”
