Bill description: This bill keeps the Department of Finance out of the debt collection business under Idaho law.

Rating: +1

Analyst’s note: In 2014, the  Idaho Supreme Court ruled state law prevents debt collection agencies from collecting certain fees even though those fees were expressly included in a contract between an original contractor and original debtor. In certain cases, a contractor might hand a debt case over to an attorney or a collection agency. This bill seeks to preserve the original right of contract involving the collection of a debt when a case is handed over to a collection agency without regulation by the Department of Finance.

Does it give government any new, additional, or expanded power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate activities in the free market?

This bill preserves the right to contract and leaves government out of the equation. (+1)

Updated 2/28 to include more accurate language