[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H3448-H3451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT RECOVERY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2012

  Mr. BERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4282) to amend part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to 
ensure that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of 
the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery 
of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4282

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the 
     ``International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 
     2012''.
       (b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided in 
     this Act, wherever in this Act an amendment is expressed in 
     terms of an amendment to a section or other provision, the 
     amendment shall be considered to be made to a section or 
     other provision of the Social Security Act.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO ENSURE ACCESS TO CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES 
                   FOR INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT CASES.

       (a) Authority of the Secretary of HHS To Ensure Compliance 
     With Multilateral Child Support Conventions.--
       (1) In general.--Section 452 (42 U.S.C. 652) is amended--
       (A) by redesignating the second subsection (l) (as added by 
     section 7306 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005) as 
     subsection (m); and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(n) The Secretary shall use the authorities otherwise 
     provided by law to ensure the compliance of the United States 
     with any multilateral child support convention to which the 
     United States is a party.''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 453(k)(3) (42 U.S.C. 
     653(k)(3)) is amended by striking ``452(l)'' and inserting 
     ``452(m)''.
       (b) Access to the Federal Parent Locator Service.--Section 
     453(c) (42 U.S.C. 653(c)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (3);
       (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (4) and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) an entity designated as a Central Authority for child 
     support enforcement in a foreign reciprocating country or a 
     foreign treaty country for purposes specified in section 
     459A(c)(2).''.
       (c) State Option To Require Individuals in Foreign 
     Countries To Apply Through Their Country's Appropriate 
     Central Authority.--Section 454 (42 U.S.C. 654) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (4)(A)(ii), by inserting before the 
     semicolon ``(except that, if the individual applying for the 
     services resides in a foreign reciprocating country or 
     foreign treaty country, the State may opt to require the 
     individual to request the services through the Central 
     Authority for child support enforcement in the foreign 
     reciprocating country or the foreign treaty country, and if 
     the individual resides in a foreign country that is not a 
     foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country, a 
     State may accept or reject the application)''; and
       (2) in paragraph (32)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, a foreign treaty 
     country,'' after ``a foreign reciprocating country''; and
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``or foreign obligee'' 
     and inserting ``, foreign treaty country, or foreign 
     individual''.
       (d) Amendments to International Support Enforcement 
     Provisions.--Section 459A (42 U.S.C. 659a) is amended--
       (1) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) References.--In this part:
       ``(1) Foreign reciprocating country.--The term `foreign 
     reciprocating country' means a foreign country (or political 
     subdivision thereof) with respect to which the Secretary has 
     made a declaration pursuant to subsection (a).
       ``(2) Foreign treaty country.--The term `foreign treaty 
     country' means a foreign country for which the 2007 Family 
     Maintenance Convention is in force.
       ``(3) 2007 family maintenance convention.--The term `2007 
     Family Maintenance Convention' means the Hague Convention of 
     23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child 
     Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.'';
       (2) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
     ``foreign countries that are the subject of a declaration 
     under this section'' and inserting ``foreign reciprocating 
     countries or foreign treaty countries''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and foreign treaty 
     countries'' after ``foreign reciprocating countries''; and
       (3) in subsection (d), by striking ``the subject of a 
     declaration pursuant to subsection (a)'' and inserting 
     ``foreign reciprocating countries or foreign treaty 
     countries''.
       (e) Collection of Past-Due Support From Federal Tax 
     Refunds.--Section 464(a)(2)(A) (42 U.S.C. 664(a)(2)(A)) is 
     amended by striking ``under section 454(4)(A)(ii)'' and 
     inserting ``under paragraph (4)(A)(ii) or (32) of section 
     454''.
       (f) State Law Requirement Concerning the Uniform Interstate 
     Family Support Act (UIFSA).--
       (1) In general.--Section 466(f) (42 U.S.C. 666(f)) is 
     amended--
       (A) by striking ``on and after January 1, 1998,'';
       (B) by striking ``and as in effect on August 22, 1996,''; 
     and
       (C) by striking ``adopted as of such date'' and inserting 
     ``adopted as of September 30, 2008''.
       (2) Conforming amendments to title 28, united states 
     code.--Section 1738B of title 28, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (A) in subsection (d), by striking ``individual 
     contestant'' and inserting ``individual contestant or the 
     parties have consented in a record or open court that the 
     tribunal of the State may continue to exercise jurisdiction 
     to modify its order,'';
       (B) in subsection (e)(2)(A), by striking ``individual 
     contestant'' and inserting ``individual contestant and the 
     parties have not consented in a record or open court that the 
     tribunal of the other State may continue to exercise 
     jurisdiction to modify its order''; and
       (C) in subsection (b)--
       (i) by striking `` `child' means'' and inserting ``(1) The 
     term `child' means'';
       (ii) by striking `` `child's State' means'' and inserting 
     ``(2) The term `child's State' means'';
       (iii) by striking `` `child's home State' means'' and 
     inserting ``(3) The term `child's home State' means'';
       (iv) by striking `` `child support' means'' and inserting 
     ``(4) The term `child support' means'';
       (v) by striking `` `child support order' '' and inserting 
     ``(5) The term `child support order' '';
       (vi) by striking `` `contestant' means'' and inserting 
     ``(6) The term `contestant' means'';
       (vii) by striking `` `court' means'' and inserting ``(7) 
     The term `court' means'';
       (viii) by striking `` `modification' means'' and inserting 
     ``(8) The term `modification' means''; and
       (ix) by striking `` `State' means'' and inserting ``(9) The 
     term `State' means''.
       (3) Effective date; grace period for state law changes.--
       (A) Paragraph (1).--(i) The amendments made by paragraph 
     (1) shall take effect with respect to a State on the earlier 
     of--
       (I) October 1, 2013; or
       (II) the effective date of laws enacted by the legislature 
     of the State implementing such paragraph, but in no event 
     later than the first day of the first calendar quarter 
     beginning after the close of the first regular session of the 
     State legislature that begins after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act.
       (ii) For purposes of clause (i), in the case of a State 
     that has a 2-year legislative session, each year of the 
     session shall be deemed to be a separate regular session of 
     the State legislature.
       (B) Paragraph (2).--(i) The amendments made by 
     subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) shall take effect 
     on the date on which the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 
     on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other 
     Forms of Family Maintenance enters into force for the United 
     States.
       (ii) The amendments made by subparagraph (C) of paragraph 
     (2) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this 
     Act.

     SEC. 3. DATA EXCHANGE STANDARDIZATION FOR IMPROVED 
                   INTEROPERABILITY.

       (a) In General.--Section 452 (42 U.S.C. 652), as amended by 
     section 2(a)(1) of this Act, is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(o) Data Exchange Standardization for Improved 
     Interoperability.--
       ``(1) Data exchange standards.--
       ``(A) Designation.--The Secretary, in consultation with an 
     interagency work group which shall be established by the 
     Office of Management and Budget, and considering State and 
     tribal perspectives, shall, by rule, designate a data 
     exchange standard for any category of information required to 
     be reported under this part.
       ``(B) Data exchange standards must be nonproprietary and 
     interoperable.--The data exchange standard designated under 
     subparagraph (A) shall, to the extent practicable, be 
     nonproprietary and interoperable.
       ``(C) Other requirements.--In designating data exchange 
     standards under this section, the Secretary shall, to the 
     extent practicable, incorporate--
       ``(i) interoperable standards developed and maintained by 
     an international voluntary consensus standards body, as 
     defined by the Office of Management and Budget, such as the 
     International Organization for Standardization;
       ``(ii) interoperable standards developed and maintained by 
     intergovernmental partnerships, such as the National 
     Information Exchange Model; and
       ``(iii) interoperable standards developed and maintained by 
     Federal entities with authority over contracting and 
     financial assistance, such as the Federal Acquisition 
     Regulatory Council.
       ``(2) Data exchange standards for reporting.--
       ``(A) Designation.--The Secretary, in consultation with an 
     interagency work group established by the Office of 
     Management and

[[Page H3449]]

     Budget, and considering State and tribal perspectives, shall, 
     by rule, designate data exchange standards to govern the data 
     reporting required under this part.
       ``(B) Requirements.--The data exchange standards required 
     by subparagraph (A) shall, to the extent practicable--
       ``(i) incorporate a widely-accepted, nonproprietary, 
     searchable, computer-readable format;
       ``(ii) be consistent with and implement applicable 
     accounting principles; and
       ``(iii) be capable of being continually upgraded as 
     necessary.
       ``(C) Incorporation of nonproprietary standards.--In 
     designating reporting standards under this paragraph, the 
     Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, incorporate 
     existing nonproprietary standards, such as the eXtensible 
     Markup Language.''.
       (b) Effective Dates.--
       (1) Data exchange standards.--The Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall issue a proposed rule under section 
     452(o)(1) of the Social Security Act within 12 months after 
     the date of the enactment of this section, and shall issue a 
     final rule under such section 452(o)(1), after public 
     comment, within 24 months after such date of enactment.
       (2) Data reporting standards.--The reporting standards 
     required under section 452(o)(2) of such Act shall become 
     effective with respect to reports required in the first 
     reporting period, after the effective date of the final rule 
     referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection, for which 
     the authority for data collection and reporting is 
     established or renewed under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

     SEC. 4. EFFICIENT USE OF THE NATIONAL DIRECTORY OF NEW HIRES 
                   DATABASE FOR FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
                   ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FEDERAL POLICIES 
                   AND PROGRAMS IN ACHIEVING POSITIVE LABOR MARKET 
                   OUTCOMES.

       Section 453 (42 U.S.C. 653) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (i)(2)(A), by striking ``24'' and 
     inserting ``48''; and
       (2) in subsection (j), by striking paragraph (5) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(5) Research.--
       ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B) of this 
     paragraph, the Secretary may provide access to data in each 
     component of the Federal Parent Locator Service maintained 
     under this section and to information reported by employers 
     pursuant to section 453A(b), for--
       ``(i) research undertaken by a State or Federal agency 
     (including through grant or contract) for purposes found by 
     the Secretary to be likely to contribute to achieving the 
     purposes of part A or this part; or
       ``(ii) an evaluation or statistical analysis undertaken to 
     assess the effectiveness of a Federal program in achieving 
     positive labor market outcomes (including through grant or 
     contract), by--

       ``(I) the Department of Health and Human Services;
       ``(II) the Social Security Administration;
       ``(III) the Department of Labor;
       ``(IV) the Department of Education;
       ``(V) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
       ``(VI) the Department of Justice;
       ``(VII) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
       ``(VIII) the Bureau of the Census;
       ``(IX) the Department of Agriculture; or
       ``(X) the National Science Foundation.

       ``(B) Personal identifiers.--Data or information provided 
     under this paragraph may include a personal identifier only 
     if, in addition to meeting the requirements of subsections 
     (l) and (m)--
       ``(i) the State or Federal agency conducting the research 
     described in subparagraph (A)(i), or the Federal department 
     or agency undertaking the evaluation or statistical analysis 
     described in subparagraph (A)(ii), as applicable, enters into 
     an agreement with the Secretary regarding the security and 
     use of the data or information;
       ``(ii) the agreement includes such restrictions or 
     conditions with respect to the use, safeguarding, disclosure, 
     or redisclosure of the data or information (including by 
     contractors or grantees) as the Secretary deems appropriate;
       ``(iii) the data or information is used exclusively for the 
     purposes defined in the agreement; and
       ``(iv) the Secretary determines that the provision of data 
     or information under this paragraph is the minimum amount 
     needed to conduct the research, evaluation, or statistical 
     analysis, as applicable, and will not interfere with the 
     effective operation of the program under this part.
       ``(C) Penalties for unauthorized disclosure of data.--Any 
     individual who willfully discloses a personal identifier 
     (such as a name or social security number) provided under 
     this paragraph, in any manner to an entity not entitled to 
     receive the data or information, shall be fined under title 
     18, United States Code, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or 
     both.''.

     SEC. 5. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Dakota (Mr. Berg) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Dakota.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Dakota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today with my colleague, Mr. Doggett of Texas, and other 
members of the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Committee on Ways 
and Means. I urge support for House Resolution 4282, as amended, the 
International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2012.
  This bill provides the implementing legislation for the Hague 
Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms 
of Family Maintenance. Negotiation of this treaty began in 2003, and it 
was eventually signed in 2007. The Senate then provided its consent in 
2010. Now States cannot take advantage of the benefits of this treaty 
until Congress moves forward.
  Currently, States have the option to recognize child support orders 
from other countries and many of them do. However, States have found 
that other countries are less cooperative in recognizing our orders.
  The Hague Convention seeks to address this issue by establishing a 
standardized process so more countries cooperate in the collection of 
child support. This will ensure that children in the United States have 
the same access to financial support even when one of their parents is 
abroad.
  This bill is about empowering the States, which operate the child 
support enforcement program, to do more for families and, most 
importantly, for children.
  My home State of North Dakota has already made the necessary changes 
to its State law to accept the Hague Convention. Unfortunately, we are 
one of only 10 States that have done so. The United States cannot 
ratify the Hague Convention until all States make the necessary 
changes, so now is the time to act.
  On March 20, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Committee on 
Ways and Means had a hearing on this issue and heard that States are 
waiting to follow our lead. It's time for this Chamber to do its job 
and pass this bill, which will improve the program while resulting in 
modest savings.
  This bill also includes the continuation of our subcommittee's 
bipartisan efforts to standardize the process and data, and improve the 
exchange of data within and across human services programs. While the 
child support system already relies heavily on data exchanges, it's 
important for those efforts to be consistent with provisions we have 
recently enacted in child welfare, TANF, and unemployment programs. The 
goal is simple: improve government's efficiency; provide benefits to 
those who are eligible; and drive out waste, fraud, and abuse.
  Finally, this bill expands researcher's access to a database 
maintained by the Office of Child Support Enforcement. The National 
Directory of New Hires, NDNH, captures employment information for 
individuals working in most jobs in the United States. Expanding access 
to earning data in the NDNH will improve our ability to determine 
whether Federal education, training, and social service programs help 
people find and keep jobs.
  According to the administration, most Federal agencies do not 
currently have reliable access to data that can show the impact of 
their programs on a participant's employment and earnings. In an era of 
tighter resources, it's critical that we have reliable data to conduct 
rigorous evaluations and make sure that Federal investments are getting 
results.
  The National Child Support Enforcement Association represents the 
views of State agency child support directors and actively participated 
in the negotiations of the Hague Convention.
  I would like to thank Congressman Geoff Davis, the chairman of the

[[Page H3450]]

Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources. I would also like to 
thank the subcommittee's ranking member, Mr. Doggett, who joins me on 
the floor today, as well as other members of the subcommittee for their 
support and original cosponsorship.
  I invite all Members to join us in supporting this important 
bipartisan legislation. It will move us a step closer to ratifying the 
Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and 
ensuring that more children living in the United States receive the 
financial support they deserve.
  I urge all my colleagues to support it and reserve the balance of my 
time.
                                                     Coalition for


                                        Evidence-Based Policy,

                                                   April 10, 2012.
     Hon. Geoff Davis,
     Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on 
         Human Resources, Washington DC.
     Hon. Lloyd Doggett,
     Ranking Member, House Committee on Ways and Means, 
         Subcommittee on Human Resources, Washington DC.
       Dear Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Doggett: I'm writing 
     to express our strong support for your subcommittee's 
     efforts, in H.R. 4282, to increase researcher access to the 
     National Directory of New Hires (NDNH).
       As background, the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is a 
     nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, whose mission is to 
     increase government effectiveness through rigorous evidence 
     about ``what works.'' We have no financial interest in this 
     or any other policy proposals or initiatives.
       Our support for your proposal to increase researcher access 
     to NDNH is based on its potential to greatly lower the cost 
     and burden of conducting scientifically-rigorous evaluations 
     of employment programs, by enabling such studies to measure 
     employment and earnings outcomes using existing 
     administrative data rather than engaging in costly new data 
     collection (e.g., individual interviews).
       As summarized in a short brief we recently developed--
     Rigorous Program Evaluations on a Budget--in other policy 
     areas where administrative data are more accessible, such as 
     education and criminal justice, large-scale rigorous 
     evaluations have sometimes been conducted for as little as 
     $50,000 $100,000, producing valid evidence that is of policy 
     and practical importance. Researcher access to NDNH data 
     could bring this capability to workforce development policy, 
     greatly accelerating the development of credible evidence 
     about what works to improve the employment and earnings of 
     U.S. workers.
       We appreciate your leadership on this important issue. 
     Please let us know if we can be of assistance as it goes 
     forward.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Jon Baron,
     President.
                                  ____

                                                Building Knowledge


                                     To Improve Social Policy,

                                                     June 4, 2012.
     Hon. Congressman Berg,
     Cannon House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Berg: I am writing to congratulate you on 
     advancing H.R. 4282, The International Child Support Recovery 
     and Improvement Act of 2012, to the House floor. Thank you 
     again for inviting me to testify before the Human Resources 
     Subcommittee on Ways and Means.
       As I stated in my recent testimony, this bill includes an 
     important technical provision that enables researchers to 
     more easily access the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) 
     database, which contains earnings and employment data 
     collected by states from employers. Removing this barrier in 
     the law will result in more accurate, cost-effective 
     assessments of the employment effects of federal programs.
       Independent research firms like MDRC are contracted by the 
     government to evaluate the extent to which federal programs 
     work; in many cases, a key measure of effectiveness is the 
     programs' long-term impact on participants' employment and 
     earnings. The NDNH database, maintained by the federal Office 
     of Child Support Enforcement, houses employment and earnings 
     data reported by the states for child support enforcement 
     purposes. However, research contractors are generally unable 
     to access this essential database. Instead they are forced to 
     get the very same data directly from the states, at great 
     cost to the federal government and at considerable burden in 
     duplicative reporting for the states.
       In this time of severe budget constraints, Congress must 
     have credible, nonpartisan information to understand whether 
     federally supported programs actually help people find work 
     and increase their earnings. The technical provision in this 
     bill would ensure the availability of data necessary for 
     researchers to examine the effectiveness of these programs.
       This provision expands researchers' access to NDNH data and 
     also maintains strong privacy protections. Since personally 
     identifiable information is contained in the NDNH database, 
     the provision requires research firms to continue to uphold 
     strict rules governing the data's confidentiality and 
     provides severe penalties for unauthorized disclosure of this 
     data.
       Thank you for recognizing the importance of giving 
     researchers greater access to NDNH data. Attached is my 
     testimony for further reference.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Gordon L. Berlin,
     President, MDRC.
                                  ____

                                            National Child Support


                                      Enforcement Association,

                                         McLean, VA, June 4, 2012.
     Representative Geoff Davis, Chairman,
     Representative Lloyd Doggett, Ranking Member,
     Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, Longworth 
         House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Davis and Ranking Member Doggett: The 
     National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) 
     supports the bipartisan International Child Support Recovery 
     Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4282) and applauds your efforts 
     to bring the measure to the House floor.
       Section 2 of the bill provides the implementing language 
     necessary to ratify the 2007 Hague Convention Treaty on the 
     International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of 
     Family Maintenance. NCSEA members worked tirelessly on the 
     Convention. It contains procedures for processing 
     international child support cases that are uniform, simple, 
     efficient, accessible, and cost-free to U.S. citizens seeking 
     support in other countries. It is founded on the agreement of 
     countries that ratify the Convention to recognize and enforce 
     each other's support orders.
       International cases can be challenging and very time 
     consuming for child support workers because there are no 
     agreed upon standards of proof, forms or methods of 
     communication. As more parents cross international borders 
     leaving children behind, international child support 
     enforcement is more important than ever.
       For many international cases, U.S. courts and state Title 
     IV D child support enforcement agencies already recognize and 
     enforce child support obligations, whether or not the United 
     States has a reciprocal agreement with the other country. 
     However, many foreign countries will not enforce U.S. support 
     orders in the absence of a treaty obligation. Ratification of 
     the Convention by the United States will mean that more 
     children residing in the United States will receive financial 
     support from their parents residing in countries that are 
     also signatories to the Convention.
       NCSEA has long sought congressional action on this issue, 
     so that our nation's children receive the financial support 
     to which they are entitled.
       Thank you again for your leadership on this bill.
           Sincerely,
                                          Colleen Delaney Eubanks,
                                               Executive Director.

  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am pleased to join my colleague from North Dakota in our truly 
bipartisan effort on behalf of H.R. 4282, the International Child 
Support Recovery Improvement Act. He has made an excellent statement 
regarding the need for this legislation.
  International borders should never be barriers to children receiving 
the financial support that their parents are obligated to provide, nor 
should a parent be able to avoid their responsibility by just leaving 
the country. That's why the United States has previously adopted 
reciprocal agreements with a number of other nations to collect child 
support from deadbeat parents who do not live in the same country as 
their children. But these agreements don't cover many nations, and the 
procedures sometimes vary from nation to nation. A more comprehensive 
approach is to enter into a broad convention, another type of treaty, 
to ensure the international collection of child support.

                              {time}  1930

  In 2010, the Senate ratified the Hague Convention for the 
International Recovery of Child Support. Today's bill simply implements 
the treaty and provides that our child support collection across 
America fully complies with our treaty obligations. This will assure 
that more children living in the United States obtain the necessary 
financial support from a parent living in another country, and it will 
also protect taxpayers who ought not have to be responsible for 
covering the expenses when a parent is obligated to do so.
  Exemplifying the need for today's bill is the plea of a mother from 
Houston, who wrote to the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement:

       Please help me collect child support from my daughter's 
     father in Venezuela. We were married years ago in the United 
     States. It took a long time to finalize the divorce, as he 
     was out of the country. Finally, the divorce went through, 
     which at the time was a relief. But 3 to 4 years later, my 
     daughter is

[[Page H3451]]

     12 and teenage expenses are kicking in. Regardless of the 
     divorce requirements, he states Venezuela is unable to 
     conduct business with the U.S., and he's unable to send money 
     on his own.

  Our bill would provide relief to her and many other families. Child 
support touches the lives of nearly one in four children across 
America, securing financial support for almost 18 million children--
including a million and a half children in Texas--and it's played an 
important role in keeping children out of poverty. Without its support, 
roughly half a million children would have fallen into poverty in 2010.
  This bill recognizes the general premise that both parents are 
responsible for their children.

  It would respond to another Texas mother who wrote the same office:
       My ex-husband has been working for an international company 
     for nearly 6 years. His income the first year was $100,000. 
     To date, after taxes, he's clearing over $8,000 monthly. Per 
     our court order, I'm only receiving $260 a month, which is 
     now currently on hold. So therefore I'm not receiving any 
     funds from my child support at all. Please help me. I'm 
     making less money since I switched from the night shift to 
     days to be home with my two children. I keep making necessary 
     sacrifices, but I have no one to help me.

  That's the kind of individual, the kind of children that would be 
assisted by this legislation. Passing the act would access financial 
support from a noncustodial parent living abroad. As with other 
effective child support initiatives, taxpayers will benefit by not 
being saddled with the cost of supporting children whose parents should 
be doing so.
  The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this bill will 
result in some modest net savings to the child support program. Child 
support advocates, as Mr. Berg indicated, along with the American Bar 
Association, the Conference of State Court Administrators, the 
Conference of Chief Justices, and the National Center for State Courts 
have all endorsed this legislation. It is truly a bipartisan effort 
that improves the well-being of many children by ensuring that their 
parents abroad continue to fulfill their obligations here at home in 
the United States to their children.
  I urge approval of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BERG. Again, this legislation will help families, and most 
importantly, children--help them receive the financial services they 
need, regardless of where they live or where their parents live. I 
appreciate the comments of our subcommittee ranking member who has 
joined me here today on the floor in support of this bill, and I look 
forward to continuing to work with him as we improve the child support 
enforcement program.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
         Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, 
           Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, May 18, 
           2012.
     Hon. Dave Camp,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, 1102 Longworth House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Camp, reference is made to H.R. 4282, the 
     ``International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 
     2012,'' with respect to which the Committee on the Judiciary 
     received a referral. I understand that the bill may soon 
     proceed to consideration by the full House. As a result of 
     your having consulted with the Judiciary Committee concerning 
     provisions of the bill that fall within our Rule X 
     jurisdiction, and your agreement to call up an amended 
     version of the bill that is consistent with our mutual 
     understanding with respect to those provisions, I to agree to 
     discharge the Committee on the Judiciary from further 
     consideration of the bill so that the bill may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House Floor.
       The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual 
     understanding that, by foregoing consideration of H.R. 4282 
     at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the 
     subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and 
     that our committee will be appropriately consulted and 
     involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so 
     that we may address any remaining issues that fall within our 
     Rule X jurisdiction. Our committee also reserves the right to 
     seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving this or similar 
     legislation, and requests your support for any such request.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 4282, and 
     would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this 
     matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration thereof.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Lamar Smith
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, 
           Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, May 23, 
           2012.
     Hon. Lamar Smith,
     Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, 2138 Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Smith, thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 4282, the ``International Child Support Recovery 
     Improvement Act of 2012,'' which the Committee on Ways and 
     Means anticipates may soon proceed to consideration by the 
     full House.
       As introduced, H.R. 4282 contained two provisions (sections 
     2 and 4) that formed the basis of an additional referral of 
     the bill to your committee. I am most appreciative of your 
     decision to discharge the Committee on the Judiciary from 
     further consideration of H.R. 4282, as amended, so that it 
     may proceed to the House floor. I acknowledge that, although 
     you are waiving formal consideration of the bill, the 
     Committee on the Judiciary is in no way waiving its 
     jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in those 
     provisions of the bill, including sections 2 and 4 of the 
     bill as amended, which fall within your Rule X jurisdiction. 
     In addition, if a conference is necessary on this 
     legislation, I will support any request that your committee 
     be represented therein.
       Finally, I will be pleased to include a copy of this 
     letter, as well as your letter dated May 18, 2012, in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 4282.
                                                        Dave Camp,
                                                         Chairman.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Berg) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4282, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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