A debt collection office created by the state of Louisiana has recovered $92 million in previously unpaid debts since it opened up three years ago, but nobody knows how that compared to the work that was being done by individual state agencies when they were on their own.
Kimberly Robinson, the Revenue Secretary for the state of Louisiana, said that $528 million of unpaid debts has been placed with the agency since 2014.
Robinson said she hopes that her office will have a “better analysis” within the year of how the statewide office is doing compared to the previous structure, where each state agency was responsible for its own debt collection efforts.
The state legislature passed a law in 2013 that created the central debt collection effort. The Office of Debt Recovery has the power to revoke licenses, seize bank accounts, and withhold tax refunds from individuals with unpaid state debts.
