Bill > A3517

Introduced Session

This bill is to be known as the "Equitable Outcomes in Child Support Collection Act." The bill amends section 1 of P.L.1962, c.142 (C.30:4C-29.1) to remove provisions in the statutes that outline how the Department of Children and Families currently collects child support obligations from legally responsible persons to offset the costs of maintenance, incurred by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), on behalf of children in the DCPP's care or custody, and establishes new procedures for such collection. Specifically, as amended, the bill stipulates that any current child support obligation or any unpaid outstanding arrears balance of a court-ordered child support obligation, all unsatisfied civil judgments based on a court-ordered child support obligation, all warrants issued solely based on the alleged failure to pay or the sole purpose of enforcing a child support obligation, or any current outstanding liens entered on any and all property to which the defendant has or has acquired an interest, which is owed to reimburse the DCPP for maintenance costs incurred while a child was in its care or custody, are deemed null and void and are to be vacated and discharged. This bill updates the State's statutes concerning the liability for maintenance costs of children in the care or custody of the DCPP to align with revised policies issued in 2022 by the Children's Bureau, an office of the federal Administration for Children and Families, allowing for Title IV-E agencies to define more narrowly when it is appropriate to seek child support from legally responsible persons.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Shama Haider (D)*,  Tennille McCoy (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Carol Murphy (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D),  Benjie Wimberly (D), 

Substituted by S2331 (on 12/19/2024)

Official Document