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.

To that point, New York is blocking banks and debt collectors from seizing stimulus payments delivered to residents authorized by the CARES Act.

Payments started going out to Americans last week, either through the mail or electronic direct deposit.

On Saturday, New York's attorney general said banks and debt collectors cannot freeze or seize stimulus funds. The stimulus payments approved by Congress and President Trump "were not designated as exempt from garnishment, allowing debt collectors to potentially benefit from consumers," New York attorney general Letitia James warns.

James argues state law exempts public benefits from legal processes "by a judgment creditor seeking to satisfy a monetary judgment."

Additionally, this week, Ohio Attorney General David Yost warned creditors that those one-time government checks are protected by state law from garnishment.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order Friday barring debt collectors and creditors from seizing stimulus checks sent to Oregonians under the latest coronavirus relief package.

"Many Oregonians, through no fault of their own, are struggling to pay their bills, their rent, or even buy essentials like groceries and prescription drugs," Brown said in a prepared statement. "These recovery checks were meant to provide relief, not reward debt collection agencies for preying on Oregonians who have lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

These announcements were 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," Ohio Attorney General's Yost said in a statement. "It wasn't meant to pay off an old bill."

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