Senate Sponsors: LAUZEN-WELCH. House Sponsors: MAUTINO-LINDNER Short description: STATE DEBT COLLECTION-SHERIDAN Synopsis of Bill as introduced: Amends the Illinois State Collection Act of 1986. Provides that after accounts have been certified by the Debt Collection Board or the Attorney General as uncollectible, the State Comptroller may sell the debts to outside private vendors or enter into one or more contracts with outside private vendors for the purpose of pursuing a last-call collection effort to collect these debts for a contingent fee. Provides that beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act, the outside private vendors shall remit to the State Comptroller either (i) all amounts collected under a contract, net of contingent fees (now, remitted to the respective State agencies to whom the money is owed), or (ii) the purchase price for debts sold. Provides that the State Comptroller shall deposit the first $28,000,000 received into the Sheridan Correctional Center Fund and that all other amounts received shall be deposited into the fund that would have received the receipt had it been collected by the State agency. All moneys in the Fund shall be appropriated to the Department of Corrections to be used to keep open or re-open, as the case may be, the Sheridan Correctional Center and for its continued operation, and for no other purpose. Amends the State Finance Act to create the special fund. Effective immediately. HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1. Provides that the authorization for the Board to enter into one or more contracts with outside private vendors for the collection of delinquent accounts concerns accounts before they have been certified as uncollectible. Restores language, in provisions concerning the collection of accounts before they have been certified as uncollectible, requiring contractors to remit the amount collected for deposit into the fund that would have received the receipt had it been collected by the State. For accounts that have been certified as uncollectible, the Department of Central Management Services, rather than the State Comptroller, shall administer the contracting out or selling of the debts and collect the payments remitted by outside private vendors. Provides that the provision concerning the collection of debts that have been certified as uncollectible applies to only those uncollectible debts that are eligible. Provides that the proceeds to be deposited into the Sheridan Correctional Center Fund exclude funds that by law may not be diverted from their original purpose. Last action on Bill: TOTAL VETO STANDS Last action date: MAR-07-2003 Location: Senate Amendments to Bill: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED: HOUSE - 1 SENATE - 0 END OF INQUIRY Full Text Bill Status