Child Support Distribution Act of 2000 (H.R.

Child Support Distribution Act of 2000 (H.R. 4678) overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives last September 7, 2000 by a vote of 405 to 18. A similar measure, now called the Child Support Distribution Act of 2001 (S. 918) was introduced in the Senate's 107th session but never came to debate.

The need for better enforcement of child support laws were evident in a recent survey that showed that fewer than one-fifth of inner-city children born to single teenage mothers receive child support from their fathers. In fact, half of these children never see their fathers at all. Many fathers are unable to provide support because they are unemployed and do not have any marketable skills. As a result, a great majority of these teen mothers depend on welfare to support their children (Moore).

The Child Support Distribution Act seeks to address these problems such as these, factors that hinder a parent's ability to provide adequate child support and make children wards of the state. First, it gives more monetary child support to families leaving welfare. Through reforms in welfare disbursement and public assistance, the bill would distribute more than $1 billion per year in additional child support to low-income custodial parents, usually mothers. Indigent non-custodial parent - usually the father - would also benefit from programs helping them to support and raise their own children. In addition, the bill also specifically promotes marriage through programs like marriage counseling and similar services.

Under the current law, a mother who applies for welfare automatically assigns the state the right to collect child support on her behalf. The state is able to use techniques like intercepting tax refunds to collect the child support owed. However, any money collected from the father is first applied to this "debt" to the state, the amount the mother was forced to collect from welfare.

The Child Support Distribution Act changes this provision. If a mother leaves welfare, she and her children have first claim on all child support paid for by the father. By providing mothers with such monetary help, the bill tries to help such single parent families stay off welfare at a time when they are vulnerable to economic hardship ("House Okays Bill to Send Child Support to Parents.")

Current rules also prohibit single mothers and children from receiving child support payments if they are already receiving cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. If any payments are made under these conditions, the government retains the money and no payments benefit his children. This rule bars children and their families from receiving potentially large amounts of much-needed child support. In 1998, states collected $2.6 billion in child support for families receiving TANF. However, only $282 million was passed along to the families and children for whom the money was intended. To address this inequity, the Child Support Distribution Act again prioritizes the needs of mothers and children over the need to reimburse the state government for its welfare expenses.

The Child Support Distribution Act also has provisions to provide skills training for fathers. Since many fathers fail to meet child support payments due to economic reasons, the bill sets aside grants to institutions that provide indigent fathers with these much-needed programs ("House Okays Bill to Send Child Support to Parents.")

In summary, this bill proposes a number of provisions that are beneficial to low-income children, families, and non-custodial fathers. Provisions promoting responsible fatherhood will help poorly-employed and unskilled fathers improve their ability to provide for their children. Important changes would also redirect child support to prioritize mothers and children over any state reimbursement. In general, the bill is an investment in children. It aims to reduce child poverty and helps fathers develop stronger bonds with their kids. In addition, the changes should facilitate child support enforcement. States would be able to incorporate child support collection and distribution strategies into their own existing programs for welfare reform.

The original Child Support Distribution Act (H.R. 4678) was introduced by Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn) on June 15, 2000, during the 106th session of Congress, with representatives Phil English, Dave Camp and Marge Roukema as co-sponsors. H.R. 4678 had strong bi-partisan support and was finally on September 7, 2000. It was referred to the Senate the next day. Then President William J. Clinton even commended the House's passed bill and recommended that the Senate to take up this important legislation (Clinton).

However, H.R. 4678's passage was marked by disagreements over provisions relating to the privatization of child support collection and to issues of privacy. After its introduction, H.R. 4678 was referred to several committees, including the Committee on Ways and Means, the Subcommittee on Human Resources, the House Judiciary, the Subcommittee on Immigration and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The bill was finally placed on Union Calendar 459 and was debated on the floor in September 7, 2000.

For opponents of the bill, two main provisions were the sticking points. First, Rep. Robert Scott of Virginia sought to amend the provision that allows faith-based organizations to receive federal grants to institute skills-training program for fathers. Scott protested that by law, institutions that receive federal money were prohibited from promoting sectarian worship, instruction and proselytization. By allowing churches and religious organizations to administer federal funds, Scott argued that the bill violates the separation between church and state.

Another dissenter, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, protested a provision that would allow the government to access a new hires database in order to track down deadbeat dads. Though the new hires database is a powerful tool to force fathers to face their child support responsibilities, Paul argued that this provision is unconstitutional and a violation of an individual's right to privacy.

Despite these arguments, the Child Support Distribution Act was passed and referred to the Senate.

The Senate version, S.918, was introduced by Senator Olympia J. Snowe on May 21, 2001. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Evan Bayh, John Breaux, Christopher Dodd, Bob Graham, Tim Johnson, Herb Kohl, Mary Landrieu, Joseph Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, John D. Rockefeller IV, and Robert G. Toricelli. Its contents are identical to the House version.

Unfortunately, S.918 would not see any floor debate. After being read twice, the bill was sent to the Senate Committee on Finance, awaiting a referral. No further actions were taken regarding this bill until Congress adjourned.

Despite its generally beneficial provisions, both versions of the Child Support Distribution Act can have detrimental effects on women who receive money for child support. As pointed out by Rep. Scott, the bill authorizes federal grants to faith-based organizations to provide the fathers with skills training. In addition, the bill also gives bigger welfare incentives to children whose parents get married, a provision that subtly discriminates against single mothers.