RALEIGH, N.C.  – North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is backing a legislative effort to protect consumers from unscrupulous debt collectors.

The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would provide new protections against people who buy bad consumer debt and then turn up the heat trying to collect. Cooper urged the committee’s members to back the bill, which now heads to the Senate floor.

The measure says debt buyers are guilty of unfair practices if they try collecting a debt without documents showing they’re the ones actually owed the money.

Debt collectors also cannot try to pursue the money after a deadline has passed or if they fail to give 45 days written notice before going to court.