[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 18, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H3700-H3704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT RECOVERY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2013
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1896) 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1896
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
2013''.
(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
[[Page H3701]]
(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 no later than
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 Standards for Improved
Interoperability.--
``(1) Designation.--The Secretary shall, in consultation
with an interagency work group established by the Office of
Management and Budget and considering State government
perspectives, by rule, designate data exchange standards to
govern, under this part--
``(A) necessary categories of information that State
agencies operating programs under State plans approved under
this part are required under applicable law to electronically
exchange with another State agency; and
``(B) Federal reporting and data exchange required under
applicable law.
``(2) Requirements.--The data exchange standards required
by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable--
``(A) incorporate a widely accepted, non-proprietary,
searchable, computer-readable format, such as the eXtensible
Markup Language;
``(B) contain interoperable standards developed and
maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, such as the
National Information Exchange Model;
``(C) incorporate interoperable standards developed and
maintained by Federal entities with authority over
contracting and financial assistance;
``(D) be consistent with and implement applicable
accounting principles;
``(E) be implemented in a manner that is cost-effective and
improves program efficiency and effectiveness; and
``(F) be capable of being continually upgraded as
necessary.
``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection
shall be construed to require a change to existing data
exchange standards found to be effective and efficient.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall issue a proposed rule within 24 months after
the date of the enactment of this section. The rule shall
identify federally-required data exchanges, include
specification and timing of exchanges to be standardized, and
address the factors used in determining whether and when to
standardize data exchanges. It should also specify State
implementation options and describe future milestones.
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;
[[Page H3702]]
``(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
Washington (Mr. Reichert) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
General Leave
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may 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 Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague from Texas (Mr. Doggett)
to urge support of H.R. 1896, the International Child Support Recovery
Improvement Act of 2013.
This bill provides the implementing legislation for The Hague
Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and other forms
of family maintenance, ensuring that law enforcement authorities will
be able to enforce child support orders even when a child or parent
lives overseas.
Mr. Speaker, as a former sheriff in King County, which is in Seattle,
Washington--for those in the Chamber who may not know, I worked there
for 33 years--I had the opportunity of putting together a unit that was
devoted to finding parents who weren't taking on their financial
responsibility for their children and providing those financial needs.
What we learned was not only is it important for the parents to be a
part of their child's life when they leave financially--to give them
the health care benefits they need, the education that they might need,
any other financial needs that the child might need--but it also
provides a social benefit, a real benefit of involvement by that
parent. Once that parent gets financially involved, that parent is
intimately involved with that child's life.
Usually it is the father--sad to say just a couple of days after
Father's Day. Ninety-five to 98 percent of the parents who leave and
don't continue to support their child financially, it is usually the
father.
When that father and that parent gets involved financially, they all
of a sudden realize they've missed out on that child's life. They've
missed soccer games, baseball games. They've missed their theatrical
performances, their participation in every school support, and the rest
of their lives.
This also reduces crime in my experience--again, going back as the
sheriff--if these kids have both parents involved. It keeps them
involved with the family and not in other activities that we would
really prefer them not to be involved in.
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 collecting child
support. Negotiation of this treaty began in 2003, and it was signed
eventually in 2007. The Senate acted on this in 2010. They gave their
consent. The treaty provides many protections for our children, but
States cannot take advantage of the benefits until Congress moves
forward.
Enforcement of child support orders should not end at the water's
edge. Children, regardless of where they or their parents live, should
receive financial support from their parents.
{time} 1240
The United States cannot ratify The Hague Convention until all States
make the necessary changes, so the time to act is now.
This bill also includes a continuation of our subcommittee's
bipartisan efforts to standardize and improve the exchange of data
within human services programs. While the child support system already
relies heavily on data exchanges, it is important for those exchange
efforts to be consistent with the provisions we've recently enacted in
the child welfare, TANF, and unemployment programs. The goal is simple:
improve government efficiency, provide benefits to those who are
eligible, and drive out waste, fraud, and abuse.
Finally, this bill expands researcher access to a database maintained
by the Office of Child Support Enforcement. The National Directory of
New Hires collects employment outcome information for individuals
working in most jobs in the United States. Expanding access to earnings
data in the Directory will improve our ability to determine whether
Federal education, training, and social service programs help people
find and keep their 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 participants' employment or their earnings. In an era
of tighter resources, it is crucial that we have reliable data to
conduct rigorous evaluations to make sure that Federal programs are
getting results.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert into the Record letters of
support for this legislation from MDRC and the National Child Support
Enforcement Association.
In addition, key parts of this legislation are supported by respected
organizations like the Conference of State Court Administrators, the
Conference of Chief Justices, the Department of Health and Human
Services, the Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget,
and from the research community, Abt Associates, Mathematica Policy
Research, RAND, Social Policy Research, and the Urban Institute.
I want to thank the subcommittee's ranking member, Mr. Doggett, who
joins me on the floor today, and other members of the subcommittee for
their support as original cosponsors.
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
will ensure that more children living in the U.S. receive the financial
support they deserve.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
National Child Support
Endangerment Association,
May 3, 2013.
Hon. David G. Reichert, Chairman,
Hon. Lloyd Doggett, Ranking Member,
Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources, Longworth
House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Reichert and Ranking Member Doggett: The
National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA)
supports the bipartisan International Child Support Recovery
Improvement Act of 2013 (H.R.
[[Page H3703]]
1896) and urges the Committee to consider it as soon as
possible.
NCSEA members helped craft the language in the 2007 Hague
Convention Treaty on the International Recovery of Child
Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. The provisions
in Section 2 of the bill provide the language necessary to
implement it. The Treaty 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 ratifying the Convention to recognize and enforce
each other's support orders.
This bill will assist state and county child support staff
who encounter challenging and time-consuming international
cases. Presently, 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. Ratification of the Convention by the United
States will mean that more children 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,
and welcomed last year's bipartisan action by the full House
which adopted a nearly identical bill. This measure will help
to ensure 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.
____
MDRC,
New York, NY, June 11, 2013.
Hon. David Reichert,
Longworth House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Lloyd Doggett,
Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressmen Reichert and Doggett, I am writing to
congratulate you on advancing H.R. 1896, The International
Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2013, to the House
floor.
Last year, I was invited to testify before the Subcommittee
on Human Resources regarding this bill. During my testimony,
I pointed out that the 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 from last year for further reference.
Sincerely,
Gordon L. Berlin.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Budge,t
Washington, DC, May 24, 2013.
Discharge Statement.
Hon. John a. Boehner,
Speaker, Office of the Speaker, U.S. Capitol,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: I am writing to request that the
Committee on the Budget be discharged from the consideration
of H.R. 1896, the International Child Support Recovery
Improvement Act of 2013. The bill was referred respectively
to the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on the
Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget.
The bill contains provisions that fall within the exclusive
jurisdiction of the Committee on the Budget. In order to
expedite the passage of this Act, the Committee requests that
it be discharged from consideration of the bill, but continue
to receive referrals in the future pertaining to legislation
that falls within its purview. The Committee on the Budget
does not intend to mark up this bill.
Sincerely,
Paul Ryan,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Ways and Means,
Washington, DC, June 17, 2013.
Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, Rayburn House Office
Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Goodlatte, Thank you for your letter
regarding H.R. 1896, the ``International Child Support
Recovery Improvement Act of 2013,'' which the Committee on
Ways and Means anticipates may soon receive consideration by
the full House.
As introduced, H.R. 1896 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. 1896 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 by no way waiving its jurisdiction over the
subject matter contained in those provisions of the bill,
including sections 2 and 4 of the bill, 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 this letter and your
letter dated June 10, 2013 in the Congressional Record during
floor consideration of H.R. 1896.
Sincerely,
Dave Camp,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, June 10, 2013.
Hon. Dave Camp,
Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Longworth House Office
Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Camp, I write regarding H.R. 1896, the
``International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of
2013,'' on 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, I 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. 1896
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. 1896, 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,
Bob Goodlatte,
Chairman.
CBO on the International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2013
(H.R. 1896)
The Congressional Budget Office has reviewed H.R. 1896, the
International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2013.
According to a preliminary estimate of the introduced
legislation with amendment, the bill has insignificant direct
savings each year and slightly significant savings
(approximately $500,000) over 10 years.
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am pleased to join the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert) in
support of the International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act.
We tried to do this just about a year ago. In the last Congress, I
coauthored very similar legislation that was bipartisan here on the
floor. Though we acted here, the Senate was slow to act, and we are
hopeful that now, with the leadership of Chairman Reichert and, again,
with broad bipartisan support, we can get this measure passed not only
here in the House but see prompt action in the Senate.
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 shirk his responsibility to his child by
just leaving America, but the complexity and difficulty in enforcing
child support obligations when a child and the noncustodial parent live
in one country and when the other parent lives in another sometimes
lets a parent off the hook.
[[Page H3704]]
The bill before us today would reduce many of the challenges in
collecting child support across international borders by fully
implementing The Hague Convention on the International Recovery of
Child Support. The Senate adopted that Hague Convention as a treaty in
2010, and this legislation will bring us into full compliance and will
encourage the State child support agencies to have uniform methods for
processing international child support orders.
Here in the United States, many of our State child support agencies
already recognize and enforce foreign child support obligations.
Whether or not the United States has a reciprocal agreement, this just
ensures that all 50 States do. Many foreign nations are not enforcing a
U.S. child support order in the absence of a treaty or other agreement.
While our Nation does have reciprocal child support agreements with
some countries, it does not have arrangements with many of those around
the globe, hence the need for this single treaty that establishes a
uniform, efficient, and accessible procedure for processing
international child support cases.
Some desperate families are today asking for help through the Federal
Office of Child Support Enforcement, and that office is not able to
provide the help. We have an estimated 160,000 international child
support cases that currently involve children or parents here in the
United States, and with the very nature of our global economy--with
more goods and services and people moving across national boundaries--
this number is likely to only grow.
As with other effective child support measures, it's taxpayers who
benefit by not being saddled with the costs of supporting children when
a parent should be doing that. The Congressional Budget Office
concludes that this bill would result in some modest debt savings to
the child support program.
In addition to improving the international collection of child
support, the legislation includes a provision that is new, under Mr.
Reichert's leadership, concerning data standardization within the child
support enforcement system. We've worked diligently to incorporate the
same requirement into other human resources programs to improve the
ability to share data--a step that will make them more efficient, less
susceptible to fraud, and better able to reach those who really need
assistance.
Finally, this measure would also allow certain researchers access to
wage information in a child support database, known as the National
Directory of New Hires, in order to determine the effectiveness of
employment-related programs.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is truly bipartisan, and it doesn't cost
taxpayers money. In fact, it will save taxpayers money. Most
importantly, it will help more children get the financial help that
they deserve. The House passed nearly identical legislation last year
at about this time. After we pass the bill today, I urge my Senate
colleagues to act promptly to ensure that leaving the country doesn't
mean leaving your child support obligation behind.
I thank the gentleman from Washington for his leadership, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I think it's very clear that
this is a very bipartisan piece of legislation which is really focused
on strengthening the family, protecting children, and, for parents who
have left their homes, reengaging them with their families, getting
them involved in their children's activities and providing for them
financially.
One statistic that I recall when I first became sheriff in 1997 is
that we began this program at the State level. Since 72 percent of
juvenile males were without fathers, 72 percent of those committed
homicide. It's just a stark figure, a stark statistic, that really
highlights the need for parents to be involved in their children's
lives.
So, Mr. Speaker, once again, I wholeheartedly, of course, endorse
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1896.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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