A group representing Catholic bishops in Kansas wants lawmakers to approve tougher state regulators for payday lenders.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Kansas Catholic Conference executive director Michael Schuttloffel says the short-term, high-interest rate loans take advantage of people’s desperation. He says many borrowers get stuck in a cycle of taking out more loans to pay back the first. He called them “bad for society.”

The Consumer Federation of America says the annual finance rates can be as high as 390 percent in Kansas.

Kansas Community Financial Services Association lobbyist Whitney Damron says the small loans can be lifesaving. He says it’s misrepresentative to judge a one-month loan by a 12-month rate.

Schuttloffel says that he thinks the issue can be a rare example of bipartisanship in Topeka.