[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H3338-H3339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CHILD SUPPORT REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2005

  (Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Child 
Support Reinvestment Act of 2005. This much-needed bill will provide 
States, including my home State of California, with important penalty 
relief, allowing more money to flow where it should: to the children of 
our State awaiting their past-due child support payments.
  California is in the process of developing the largest single 
statewide automated child support collection system

[[Page H3339]]

in the country. Although the project initially met with delays, 
California is now on track to compliance by September 2006.
  However, rather than reducing the penalties as California makes 
progress towards its goal, the Federal penalties actually continue to 
grow, because the penalties are based on the amount the State invests 
in child support programs for the previous year. Effectively, we are 
hurting the very children that the program is trying to help by 
punishing States for doing their best to get each child the support 
payments they are owed.
  My bill, the Child Support Reinvestment Act, will lower the penalties 
and allow the money levied in penalty to be used for the benefit of the 
children instead of the Federal Government's general fund. This is 
smart regulation for the States.

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