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If you’re behind on your debts, your coronavirus stimulus check could be taken from you.
Some states are fighting back to prevent that from happening.
This week, Ohio Attorney General David Yost warned creditors that those one-time government checks are protected by state law from garnishment.
Yost’s announcement was prompted by the CARES Act, the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus legislation passed by Congress, because it does not prevent private debt collectors from seizing the money for unpaid debts. The CARES Act does protect federal and state debts from garnishment.
“The stimulus checks were intended to be used during an emergency – to put food on the table, keep the lights on and a roof over our heads,” Yost said in a statement. “It wasn’t meant to pay off an old bill.”
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