HB 623 -- Child Support Enforcement

Sponsor:  Dougherty

This bill makes changes to the child support enforcement laws in
compliance with federal mandates.  In its main provisions, the
bill:

(1)  Establishes a state disbursement unit, known as the "Family
Support Payment Center," to be operated by the Division of Child
Support Enforcement or by a contractor.  Effective October 1,
1999, the center will collect and disburse:

(a)  Federally mandated support payments, which include all
child support orders enforced by the division and all orders
entered on or after January 1, 1994, in which the income of the
obligor is subject to withholding;

(b)  Support payments ordered by a court to be made to the
center; and

(c)  Support payments ordered by a court to be made to a circuit
clerk as trustee;

(2)  Transfers authority to collect and trusteeship of child
support payments from circuit clerks to the payment center.  The
trusteeship can be changed in 3 ways:  by case-by-case orders;
by local court rule; or by supreme court rule;

(3)  Amends the statute of limitations for child support to
allow support payments to the center to be considered payments
on the record;

(4)  Expands the definition section to incorporate the payment
center; and

(5)  Allows for the admission of the center's collection and
disbursement records in judicial and administrative proceedings.