A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the legislative research commission to study improvements in consumer credit reporting practices.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Legislative Research Commission may study improvements in consumer credit reporting practices, including the means to provide that credit histories reported by businesses and other credit reporting entities that have fewer than 500 customers or accounts are included as part of customers' consumer credit reports or credit histories. In its study, the Commission may consider all of the following:
(1)	The reasons businesses and other credit reporting entities that have fewer than 500 customers or accounts are not currently included as part of customers' consumer credit reports or credit histories.
(2)	The consequences of businesses and other credit reporting entities that have fewer than 500 customers or accounts not being included as part of customers' consumer credit reports or credit histories.
(3)	The number of consumers that would benefit from the reporting of additional payment information and whether they fall into any demographic groups.
(4)	The desirability and feasibility of including every business as part of its customers' consumer credit reports.
(5)	The estimated cost of including every business as part of its customers' consumer credit reports and how to pay for the cost, if any.
(6)	Any other issues the Commission considers relevant to this topic.
SECTION 2.  The Legislative Research Commission shall make its final report to the 2009 General Assembly.
SECTION 3.  The Legislative Services Officer shall allocate funds appropriated to the General Assembly for the expenditures of the Legislative Services Commission in conducting this study.
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.