[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 112 (Friday, July 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9212-S9213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROBERTS:
  S. 1788. A bill to provide for the mandatory revocation of passports 
of individuals whose child support payments are more than $2,500 in 
arrears; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I rise today to offer legislation to 
ensure that noncustodial parents pay child support, instead of fleeing 
off to hide from their responsibilities. I commend my fellow Kansas 
colleagues, Congressman Dennis Moore and Congressman Jerry Moran, for 
introducing similar legislation in the House.
  The problem is this: noncustodial parents could potentially avoid 
paying their responsible share of child support by leaving the country. 
State child support enforcement agencies must certify cases to the 
State Department for passport denial if the child support debt is over 
$2,500. The loophole that emerges is for those deadbeat parents who 
already have a passport. Under current implementation of the law, the 
next opportunity for enforcement is at the renewal of the passport, 
which could be several years down the road. The legislation I offer 
today closes that loophole, and simply instructs the State Department 
to revoke, in addition to denying, a noncustodial parent's passport 
once the individual's child support debt exceeds $2,500. Studies show 
that the receipt of child support is a key factor that keeps a child 
and single parent family from living in or near poverty. Beyond the 
financial security that steady child support provides, there is a 
greater likelihood that noncustodial parents are personally involved in 
their child's life. If a parent shows responsibility financially, there 
is a bigger chance that he or she is involved emotionally. The impact 
of a noncustodial parent's involvement in his child's life, in many 
cases, results

[[Page S9213]]

in better grades and fewer behavioral problems.
  In Kansas alone, there are currently 131,000 child support cases 
open, including those receiving public assistance, and those above that 
income bracket. Last year, the Kansas Child Support Enforcement Program 
collected $156 million in child support.
  Now, you might ask: What percentage of the population will this help? 
I would concede that, although this may not impact a high percentage of 
those children and families receiving child support, the impact on an 
individual family is very significant. According to my state's limited 
records on this issue, approximately 50 passport applications and 
renewals are denied on a yearly basis. That figure does not include 
those passports that should be revoked. The Kansas Child Support 
Enforcement Program estimates that the number of deadbeat parents 
affected would increase to 250. The security afforded by the steady 
stream of child support could be the lone determinant of a family 
living in poverty or existing on adequate financial ground.
  I encourage my colleagues to add their support to this important fix. 
We must ensure that the tools provided to the states have the teeth 
necessary to discourage deadbeat parents from running out on their 
financial responsibilities.

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