SACRAMENTO – With income inequality on the rise in California, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a bill by State Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) to prevent debt collection agencies from emptying out a consumer’s bank account and leaving people without any funds to cover day-to-day expenses.
Under Wieckowski’s SB 616, debt collectors must leave $1,724 in the account. The bill is supported by legal aid providers, advocates for low-income consumers and statewide progressive organizations, who see the legislation as a key anti-poverty measure.