{
  "id": "RL32258",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32258",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 301999,
      "date": "2004-12-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:01:28.436422",
      "title": "Child Support Enforcement: Side-by-Side Comparison of Current Law and Two Versions of H.R. 4 (108th Congress)",
      "summary": "During the 108th Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate Finance Committee\napproved two different versions of a bill that would have reauthorized and revised the Temporary\nAssistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant. This legislation,  H.R. 4 , also\nincluded many changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. H.R.  4 was\npassed by the House in February 2003. The Senate Finance Committee reported a substitute version\nof the bill in September 2003 ( S.Rept. 108-162 ). On March 29-April 1, 2004, the Senate debated\nH.R.  4; disagreement arose regarding amendments to the bill, and Republicans failed to\npass a motion to limit debate. H.R.  4 was not passed by the Senate.\n  Although not identical, both versions of  H.R. 4  were similar in focus, direction,\nand content with respect to the CSE provisions. Both versions of H.R.  4 included\nprovisions that sought to improve the CSE program and raise collections so as to increase the\neconomic independence of former welfare families and provide a stable source of income for all\nsingle-parent families with a noncustodial parent. Both versions of the bill provided incentives (in\nthe form of federal cost sharing) to states to direct more of the child support collected on behalf of\nfamilies to the families themselves, thereby reducing the amount that state and federal governments\nretain (often referred to as a family-first policy). Under both bills, families currently receiving TANF\nbenefits as well as former TANF recipients would have potentially received a larger share of child\nsupport that was collected on their behalf.\n  The approach used by the bills differed significantly, however, with regard to how states would\nhelp TANF families receive more child support. Under the House-passed bill, states would have\nbeen given federal cost sharing incentives to encourage states to increase (or establish) the amount\nof child support payments they pass through to TANF families (and disregard in determining TANF\nbenefits). The Senate Finance Committee version of the bill provided federal cost-sharing for the\nentire amount that the state disregards and passes through to families. Moreover, the House-passed\nbill provided a more limited amount of federal cost sharing for state pass-through and disregard\npolicies than the Senate Finance Committee bill. \n Both versions of the bill would have revised some CSE enforcement tools and added others;\nincreased funding for the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS); increased funding for federal\ntechnical assistance to the states; required states to review child support orders of TANF families\nevery three years; and required that a report be submitted to Congress on undistributed child support\ncollections. The House-passed bill included a provision that would have established a $25 annual\nuser fee for individuals who had never been on TANF but received CSE services and who received\nat least $500 in any given year. The Senate Finance Committee-approved bill included provisions\nthat would have increased funding for the CSE access and visitation program; and required states\nto adopt a later version of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) so as to facilitate the\ncollection of child support payments in interstate cases. This report will not be updated.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}