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Date: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
Nearly $10 billion was collected from non-custodial parents in fiscal year 1994, an increase of 11 percent, according to the 19th Annual Report to Congress on Child Support Enforcement issued by HHS today. In addition, Secretary Shalala released preliminary data for fiscal year 1995 showing $11 billion in child support was collected and 735,000 paternities were established.
"Since the Clinton administration took office, our partnership with states has yielded unprecedented increased support for children," Secretary Shalala said. "From 1992 to 1995, collections have grown by nearly 40 percent and paternity establishments have risen by more than 40 percent.
"However, the improvements still fall far short of potential collections. Promising as these collections are to millions of children, still millions more are deprived of the help they need," she said.
Collections would be substantially increased under provisions championed by President Clinton, Secretary Shalala said. These measures include streamlined paternity establishment, employer reporting of new hires, uniform interstate child support laws, computerized statewide collections, and tough new penalties such as driver's license revocation.
Under these provisions, proposed by the President and adopted by the House and Senate in their welfare reform bills, child support collections could increase by $24 billion over the next 10 years.
"President Clinton convinced the Congress to include in its pending welfare reform legislation the toughest provisions ever for the nation's child support enforcement program," Shalala said. "If Congress can put aside partisanship, we can have real welfare reform, including tough child support measures, this year."
Today's report describes collections and other child support activities nationwide during fiscal year 1994 (October 1993-September 1994). It also contains state-by-state financial and program data. Highlights of some of the findings are:
"Even with these significant improvements, the number of children needing child support continues to rise," said Mary Jo Bane, assistant secretary for children and families and director, Office of Child Support Enforcement. "Without tougher requirements and penalties, too many parents will continue to try to evade their responsibilities."
A recent study by the Census Bureau reported that slightly more than half of families with an absent parent have orders in place. Of those with orders, half receive full payment, a quarter receive partial payment and a quarter receive no payment at all.
The child support enforcement program serves families receiving assistance under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, the Foster Care program, or the Medicaid program, as well as other families who apply for service.
The report is available from the HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Support enforcement, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20047.