Full text copy of the End Debt Collector Abuse Act of 2012, introduced by Senator Al Franken in the U.S. Senate on June 27, 2012. From Senator Franken's statement:

“Abusive debt collection practices have been detailed extensively in reports by the Federal Trade Commission, GAO, and the Minnesota Attorney General, and in recent news articles. Too often, debt collectors go after the wrong person, try to collect debts that have already been paid, and are unresponsive to consumer disputes about the debt owed. Some unscrupulous debt collectors use intimidation to collect debts, going so far as to seek arrest warrants when consumers fail to respond to alleged unpaid debts. Most disturbingly, there have been recent reports of collectors targeting patients in emergency rooms and using private health information to pressure consumers to pay medical debts.

The End Debt Collector Abuse Act would address gaps in the federal debt collection law that have left patients vulnerable and would update the law to help consumers better protect themselves, keep debt collectors honest, and stop the abuse of public resources for corporate profit.”