Debt Recovery Center to Start Collecting for State Courts

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A new collections center is ready to collect money owed to South Dakota agencies and programs.

The Obligation Recovery Center is slated to go online Friday to collect bad debt on behalf of the state. The Unified Judicial System will be the first agency to refer debt to the center.

State Court Administrator Greg Sattizahn says the court system is initially submitting about 17,000 cases to the center to recover difficult-to-collect debt such as restitution and fines.

Bureau of Administration Commissioner Jeff Holden says he expects more people to pay back money because the center has "significant tools" that state agencies don't have. Opponents argue the center is another expansion of the size of government.

CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc. is running the center under a state contract.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

See Also: