Policy Agenda:

  • Eliminate cost-recovery component of the program. Families receive all child support payments.

  • Eliminate automated "coercive" enforcement such as credit reporting and license suspension.

  • Eliminate the separate requirements for families with assistance cases, such as cooperation, referral, and assignment, and retained collections. Allow individualized, negotiated cases for all families in the caseload.

  • Establish and modify orders based on parents' actual incomes.

  • Eliminate the automatic assessment of interest on arrears.

  • Explore and reconsider percent-of-income orders, credit for informal support, in-kind support when income is lacking.

  • Support co-parenting including negotiating roles and responsibilities. Recognize parenting time in guidelines when establishing all orders.

  • Lower limits for garnishment of current and past-due support.

  • Create a speedier path for order review and adjustment

  • Strengthen the administrative process and do not refer cases to the judicial process unless necessary.

  • Help courts approach most enforcement cases as problem solving courts instead of punitive / coercive courts. Examine role of prosecuting attorneys in order establishment.