dcl-99-60

DCL-99-60 JUN 15, 1999

TO: ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Release of FY 1997 Annual Report to Congress

Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the Office of Child Support Enforcement’s 22^nd Annual Report to Congress. Our report documents the progress the nation’s child support program is making in meeting the emotional and financial needs of our nation’s children and families. In fiscal year 1997 the program:

Collected a record $13.4 billion, an increase of 70 percent since 1992;

Collected a record $1 billion in delinquent child support by intercepting income tax refunds of nonpaying parents;

Established paternity for more than one million children;

Established 1.3 million new support orders;

Located the income, assets, or employers of 6.4 million parents; and

Provided services to customers in over 19 million cases.

I congratulate you on these achievements, which are a testimony to the continued effectiveness of our partnership. We, of course, know that much remains to be accomplished for America’s children and families. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in past years, and I look forward to greater progress in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

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