History of ERICSA

Throughout the long and storied history of ERICSA, this organization has continued to provide ample time at each conference for IV-D issues with considerable emphasis on questions, problems and solutions for child support workers "in the trenches" who daily establish and enforce child support. Our annual seminars continue to provide the training needs of child support professionals in small interactive sessions which permit participants to share their knowledge and expertise in the area of interstate child support enforcement.

The historical background of ERICSA is traced to 1947 when the State of New York decided to address the problem of non-custodial parents avoiding the payment of child support by leaving the state. With the assistance of the Council of State Governments, the State of New York led the way by enactment and enforcement of reciprocal child support legislation beyond state borders. Following the enactment of URESA in 1952, representatives of states in the New England and middle Atlantic areas began to schedule annual meetings to make the best use of the new requirements of the uniform act as well as state’s laws and regulations.

In 1963, the Council for State Governments could no longer sponsor the annual meetings and the Northeastern members decided to re-organize on a formal basis. At the 1964 annual conference in Hartford, Connecticut, the initial rules of the "Northeastern Regional Conference on URESA" were approved which was intended to provide aid and support of the national effort to provide for full utilization of URESA. The first executive committee was appointed and shortly thereafter in 1964, the Department of Health and Human Services requested assistance in developing a more purposeful location system as well as addressing other issues in child support.

Eight years later in 1971 at the annual conference in Annapolis, Maryland, the membership adopted a resolution establishing "The Eastern Regional Conference on URESA" and including all the states and territories east of the Mississippi River and the District of Columbia. In 1974, activities of the Eastern included the responsibility for the future continuity of the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) and the following year, in 1975, Eastern associated formally with NCSEA.

ERICSA has continued over the years to strengthen programs devoted to the uniform enforcement of support including the passage of Title IV-D and, in the late 1980s, was instrumental in the drafting of federally approved interstate child support forms. Officers and members of the Board are elected by membership and serve on a volunteer basis. ERICSA annually welcomes to the conference experts in a variety of fields associated with the child support "family" providing a forum for camaraderie with attendees and the unique opportunity to establish life-long friendships with your child support colleagues.