An Act To Support District Attorney Check Diversion Programs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §11002, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2007, c. 214, §1, is further amended to read:
5. Debt. "Debt" means any obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay money arising out of a transaction in which the money, property, insurance or services that are the subject of the transaction are primarily for personal, family or household purposes, whether or not the obligation has been reduced to judgment. "Debt" includes any obligation or alleged obligation for payment of child support owed to, or owed by, a resident of this State and any obligation or alleged obligation relating to a check returned because of insufficient funds if a consumer is subject to an enforcement program operated by a private entity.
summary
This bill amends the definition of "debt" in the Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to give district attorneys the option of using check diversion programs. Public Law 2007, chapter 214 added language that limited the check diversion options available to district attorneys. This bill strikes that language.