South Dakota lawmakers are advancing one measure aimed at easing medical debt while rejecting another.

The House Health and Human Services Committee passed a bill Tuesday preventing hospitals from putting medical bills on credit reports.

Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Brian Mulder wrote both bills. He said his family once faced medical debt following the birth of his child.

"We ended up with a five-figure amount that was hard on us at the time, as a family. I was the only source of income, making about $45,000 a year. We just struggled with that," Mulder said. "Since that time, I’ve always thought about how medical is thrust upon you, it’s not a choice that you have.”

The bill advanced to the House floor on a nine to four vote.

The same committee defeated a separate companion bill prohibiting hospitals from sending medical bills to collection agencies in certain situations. SDBA reports opponents argued it would add financial strain to hospital systems, including in rural areas that have seen hospitals close.