The Bartmann Bill for Ethical Debt Collection Introduced in Oklahoma

Thanks to great public servants like State Senator Gary Stanislawski, (@SenStanislawski) Oklahoma is about to lead the nation in debt collection reform. Senator Stanislawski’s introduction of The Bartmann Bill for Ethical Debt Collection is designed to be a legislative “road map” for other states and Congress, so as a country we can better protect the neediest among us.

The bills highlights include “radical” ideas like:

• Banning collectors from posing as attorneys (deception now has penalties)
• Collectors will be banned from making threats & false accusations (no more intimidation and trickery)
• Consumers are now permitted to record collection calls (gathering the evidence to prove debt collection abuse now won’t be illegal.)
• Violations will be penalized at between $1,000-$5,000 PER OFFENSE (it won’t be good for for debt collectors’ bottom line to harass and deceive anymore.)
• Profanity, ethnic and racial slurs are banned (there’s no place for this conduct in civil society, even in collections.)
• Collection attempts after the statute of limitations has expired is banned (no more harassment for life)
• Company filing a lawsuit will be required to provide valid documentation that they own the debt BEFORE bringing suits against a consumer (no more default judgement with shoddy record keeping)
• Required verification of amount of debt owed (no more “take our word for it”)
• Written notification of lawsuit must be received by consumer (no more “sewer service” resulting in default judgement because consumers had no idea there was even a legal action against them.)
• Collectors are prohibited from calling more than twice in a 24 hour period (no more incessant, non-stop debt collection calls)
• Debt buyers cannot collect on debt unless they are licensed (no more fly by night charlatans)

I’m very proud to have my name associated with this legislation and to have my debt collection business bound by it. I wish my collection industry brethren would share the sentiment….but I’m not holding my breath.