Date: 03/21/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB06-1066

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 06-1066 to the Committee of the WPASS


11:30 AM -- House Bill 06-1066

Senator Shaffer, sponsor, presented House Bill 06-1066 concerning consumer protection for clients of private child support collection agencies. The bill establishes additional consumer protections to the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that apply to private child support collectors. It prohibits such collectors from engaging in certain fraudulent, unfair, deceptive, or misleading acts or practices when soliciting an individual who is owed child support under a child support order to enter into a contract for child support enforcement services. The bill sets out specific prohibitions for collectors. It excludes from its definition of "private child support collector" a collector working as an independent contractor with a county agency that contracts to provides services that a delegate child support enforcement unit is required to provide.

11:34 AM -- Scott Spendlove, Intermountain Corporate Affairs, Support Cares, and Child Support Enforcement Council, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Spendlove stated that the bill provides reasonable consumer protections for individuals who seek the services of private child support collection agencies. He also stated his belief that it allows private child support collection agencies to continue doing business. Mr. Spendlove answered committee questions about the process of child support collections.

11:40 AM -- Laura Udis, Colorado Attorney General's Office, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Udis discussed the holes in current law with regards child support collections and stated that this bill fills many of those gaps. She made herself available to answer questions. The committee asked Ms. Udis if the bill extends governmental immunity to private collection agencies and if it allows those agencies access to information to which they would not ordinarily have access.

11:44 AM -- Maureen Farrell, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Farrell stated that the bill provides reasonable protections for custodial parents.
BILL:HB06-1066
TIME: 11:47:06 AM
MOVED:Shaffer
MOTION:Refer House Bill 06-1066 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0, with one excused.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Bacon
Yes
Dyer
Yes
Gordon
Yes
Mitchell
Excused
Traylor
Yes
Shaffer
Yes
Grossman
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS



11:49 AM

The committee adjourned.