Bill > H45

This bill aims to improve the provision and enforcement of child support, particularly concerning healthcare needs. It introduces the concept of "cash medical support," which is money paid towards health care costs not covered by insurance. The bill mandates that child support orders must include provisions for "medical support," which can be either private health insurance or cash medical support, or both. It also establishes guidelines for determining which parent should provide health insurance, considering factors like cost and accessibility, and allows for court orders for cash medical support when it's in the child's best interest. Furthermore, the bill introduces penalties for parents who provide bad checks or electronic funds transfers for child support payments, and it enhances the ability of the IV-D agency (the state agency responsible for child support enforcement) to enforce medical support orders by allowing direct communication with employers and imposing penalties for non-compliance. The bill also updates procedures for issuing and managing child support warrants, making it easier to apprehend individuals with significant child support arrears.