CHILD SUPPORT FUNDING

A RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association (ERICSA) was organized in 1963 to promote the development of effective family and child support programs; and

WHEREAS, ERICSA brings together judges and other decision-makers, public and private attorneys, and child support professionals traditionally from 33 states and territories bordering on, and east of, the Mississippi River as well as the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, the Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association (ERICSA) is an organization that represents child support professionals and that provides consultation, input and comments to the Congress and state legislatures regarding effective laws and funding for the child support program;

WHEREAS, ERICSA actively participates in all major efforts to improve laws, policies and practices that govern interstate child support;

WHEREAS, nationally, child support is critical income support to more than 16 million families; in FFY 2004, through the work of state and local child support agencies, the child support program collected $19.6 billion for the nation’s children;

WHEREAS, child support collections on behalf of families are fundamental to moving families toward self-sufficiency and off of public assistance;

WHEREAS, the child support enforcement program offers a range of services that support healthy involvement of the noncustodial parent in his or her child’s life;

WHEREAS, the child support program is one that has extensive federal mandates that require States to attain and maintain specific program performance levels;

WHEREAS, States based their support for extensive Federal mandates governing the child support program on the premise that they would receive adequate Federal funding to comply with those mandates;

WHEREAS, the child support enforcement program is recognized as a high performing and cost effective program that was given a 90 percent PART rating by the Office of Management and Budget;

WHEREAS, any reduction in funding for the child support program will have a significant negative impact on the nation’s children and families as a result of States’ expected decreases in services, collections and staffing;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED this 27th day of April 2006 that the Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association, its Board of Directors and its President,

• Oppose any reductions in federal funding since these reductions greatly impact the ability of the program to perform effectively and to ensure compliance with the federal mandates, and
• Urge Congress to maintain the existing federal financial participation for the child support program, restore the capability of states to use incentive funds for federal matching and restore to 90% the federal financial participation for genetic testing, and
• Urge the Administration, that any changes in financing to the child support program be preceded by an evaluation of financing structure, the impact on services and collections and the effect on families the program serves.