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The article presents the author's view on the role of political advocacy of the credit and collection industry towards the level of legislation, regulation and success of the business enterprises in the U.S. It outlines the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA) International long-term strategic plan for the business industry's success. It also highlights the approval of the Industry Advancement Program for developing business industry strategic plan for year 2014 to 2017.

The article discusses the Blueprint for Modernizing America's Consumer Debt Collection System introduced by ACA International in the U.S. It explains that the document, which provides guidelines for public policy initiatives and industry practices, is aimed at eliminating hurdles to communication between collection agencies and consumers, limiting complaints, and improving industry regulations. According to the author, the blueprint is essential for collection agencies since its components are aligned with ACA's goals to improve the industry's reputation and modernize federal and state law. It is also inferred that consumer groups and agencies such as the Better Business Bureau, National Consumer Law Center and Federal Trade Commission have expressed their approval of the blueprint.

The author discusses the Industry Advancement Program (IAP) of the American Collectors Association (ACA) for the credit and debt collection industry.

The article focuses on the legislative and regulatory advocacies of ACA International, the international trade association of third-party debt collection businesses, for 2016 and beyond. Topics discussed include the release of new rules from the Financial Protection Bureau for regulating debt collection and the enactment of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act which empowers private debt collection agencies to recover "inactive tax receivables."

The article presents the author's views concerning the need for members of the trade association ACA International Inc. to support the efforts of the ACA to end Operation Choke Point, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. pressuring the financial industry to cut off the companies' access to banking services. He stresses concern on the impact of the federal government's policy on the debt collection industry and the country's economy.

The article outlines the services offered by American credit and collection trade organization ACA International Inc. to its members including the online Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Resource Center which gives updated reports from the U.S. CFPB and the Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy Guide which reviews state, federal and association resources. It also notes the online Legislation Action Center that helps members communicate with legislators and take legislative issues.

The article reports that skills learned in the military can be used at the workplace. Hiring Our Heroes, a national effort to help veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities was launched in March 2011 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The article presents information on the efforts of ACA International Inc. to protect its association members from the changes in the collection of consumer debt in the U.S. Topics discussed include the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Dodd-Frank Act, and the powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The article reports on the partnership of ACA International Inc. and the Healthcare Financial Management Association to form the Medical Debt Task Force. It states that the task force addresses the lack of consistent billing and collection practices in the U.S. health care industry. It discusses various practices in resolving medical bills which include making bills more patient-friendly, tracking consumer complaints.

The article focuses on the initiatives of the ACA International Inc.'s Board of Directors to strengthen the association's state units in the U.S. The author highlights the collaboration of the ACA International and state units to address regulatory, legislative, reputational issues and other challenges. He notes that ACA staff assists units monitor and analyze state-level bills and local ordinances, prepare testimony, file formal comments, and introduce strategic campaigns.

The author reflects upon the impact of the 2012 U.S. Presidential election results will have on the credit and collection industry. He mentions about the victory of the Democratic Party and opines that for the financial services industry, the election result ensures that there will be no repealing of the Dodd-Frank Act. He also discusses the efforts that will be made by ACA International Inc. to explain the issues concerning the collection industry to the Congress.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses the articles published within the issue, including "Under the Microscope," "Knowing the Score," and the journal's Spring Forum Conference and Annual Convention.

The article presents the author's insights regarding the importance of credit and collection industry in the U.S. economy. The author notes that the American Collectors Association (ACA) International members play an important role in their communities through giving back through charitable contributions and volunteer hours. He cites that the U.S. collection industry directly and indirectly creates over 300,000 jobs with a payroll of 10 billion dollars.

The article discusses various topics related to industrial cooperation, wherein particular focus is given on ACA International Inc. and the states units in the U.S. It states that relationship between ACA International and the state units is stronger. It adds that ACA works with units to defeat potentially harmful bills related to debt including Senate Bill (S.B.) 448 in Georgia, S.B. 1430 in Oklahoma, and House Bill (H.B.) 7528 in Rhode Island.

The article focuses on the efforts of the ACA International Inc. to identify and develop strong leaders in the U.S. It highlights the association's annual Leadership Symposium, which provides credit and collection industry leaders with instruction on influential public speaking and wise decision-making. Meanwhile, the association is considering implementing the new governance structure aimed at ensuring that ACA remains poised to serve its members and tackle industry challenges.

The article offers the author's insights on his professional career and his approach to the ACA International Inc., where he serves as the chief executive officer (CEO). The author says that he was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. where he acquired various leadership skills. He has traveled all over the world, and discovered that local policy makers are an important part of the nation's political structure. He promised to share his skills and knowledge to accomplish the initiatives of ACA.