The Colorado Attorney General’s office has announced it will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, Oct. 1, to solicit feedback to help it determine whether it should extend a prohibition on certain collection activities through February 2021 as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The state legislature passed a bill in July that limits what it defines as “extraordinary” collection actions, such as an action in the nature of a garnishment, attachment, levy, or execution to collect or enforce a judgment on a debt as defined under the state’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Should someone take such an action, it would constitute an unfair and unconscionable means of collecting a debt under Colorado’s FDPCA.
The limitations expire on Nov. 1, unless the Attorney General, which is the Administrator of the state’s Uniform Consumer Credit Code, determines that an extension is necessary. In order to trigger the extension, the Administrator “must find that such an extension is necessary ‘to preserve and prioritize the resources of state and local agencies or to protect Colorado residents from economic hardship as a result of the disaster emergency caused by COVID-19,’ ” according to the meeting announcement.
In seeking input from the industry and the public, the Administrator is requesting feedback on “how the limitations in the Act are functioning in practice, the need to preserve and prioritize the resources of state and local agencies, and the extent of continuing economic hardship experienced by Colorado residents as a result of the disaster emergency caused by COVID-19.”
The meeting will be held at 1pm local time on Oct. 1. Interested parties can participate using the following credentials:
Join Zoom meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/97375159177?pwd=TTFGQmxDa3pqV1g5YzJHVjBmck5EQT09
Call in Option: (346) 248-7799
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abaVABCUz5
Meeting ID: 973 7515 9177
Passcode: 908284