Treasurer To Refer Nonprofits For Debt Collection

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Treasurer John Kennedy is planning to give the state's new debt recovery office its first delinquent accounts for collection.

Kennedy said Monday that he has a list of 36 non-governmental organizations that received $4 million in tax money but haven't complied with state reporting requirements.

He says if they don't file the documents within a few weeks, he's going to refer them to the Office of Debt Recovery, seeking to get the money repaid.

Lawmakers set up the collection office in the last legislative session, as part of the Department of Revenue, which is working to get the office up and running.

The Office of Debt Recovery will have authority to revoke and suspend state-issued licenses and offset tax refunds or other state accounts payable until a debt is paid.