[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S10670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 3706. A bill to amend part D of title IV of the Social Security 
Act to prohibit States from charging child support recipients for the 
collection of child support; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, in a time of rising prices and historic 
economic turmoil, single parents deserve our support more than ever. 
That is why I am introducing the Elimination of the Single Parent Tax 
Act of 2008. I am proud to join my colleague Congresswoman Gillibrand 
in introducing this important legislation to help single parents by 
suspending State fees to fund child support enforcement.
  Many states, including New York, were forced to institute this fee 
after the Republican-lead Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act of 
2005, which slashed funding for child support enforcement. The fee is 
expected to affect 170,000 families in New York alone. These single 
parents need every penny of their child support income to go towards 
food, medicine, and other important expenses. The Elimination of the 
Single Parent Tax Act ensures that hard-working single parents don't 
face an extra tax.
  In September, I joined my Senate colleagues in urging the Senate 
Appropriations Committee leadership to increase funding for child 
support enforcement to stave off these deep cuts. And today, I 
encourage my colleagues to join me in sponsoring this critical measure 
to support single parents.
  For too long, single-parent households have been ignored at a time 
when raising children has only become more of a struggle. Yet despite 
these challenges, single parents heroically soldier on. This bill is 
only a critical first step to a more comprehensive approach to 
supporting single parents raising children. I look forward to 
continuing to fight in the Senate to stand up for our most vulnerable 
children and our hardest-working families.
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