[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 25, 1992]
[Pages 1978-1979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing the Child Support Recovery Act of 1992
October 25, 1992

    Today I am signing into law S. 1002, the ``Child Support Recovery 
Act of 1992.'' I am particularly pleased that it includes two of my 
proposals to improve interstate child support enforcement.
    When parents separate, children may suffer. Their suffering is, 
unfortunately, often made much worse through the deliberate failure of a 
parent to comply with legally imposed child support obligations. 
According to evidence presented to the House Committee on the Judiciary, 
over $5 billion in child support goes unpaid in the United States each 
and every year. This outrage--which frequently forces innocent and 
blameless families onto State welfare rolls--is something that we can, 
and indeed must, address.
    S. 1002 attacks this serious problem in several ways. First, it 
creates a new Federal

[[Page 1979]]

criminal offense for failure to make child support payments for more 
than 1 year or amounting to more than $5,000 with respect to a child who 
resides in another State. This new Federal offense, which I proposed in 
both my Project KIDS initiative and my Violent Crime Control Act of 
1992, carries a potential prison term of up to 2 years for repeat 
offenders.
    Second, the bill includes the proposal in my Violent Crime Control 
Act of 1992 to give Federal judges discretion to require full payment of 
child support obligations as a condition of probation.
    Finally, the bill authorizes the Department of Justice to make 
grants to States to develop, implement, and enforce criminal child 
support legislation and to coordinate interstate enforcement activities. 
Up to $10 million could be devoted to these grants for each of fiscal 
years 1994, 1995, and 1996.
    The welfare of our families and our children is a deep and abiding 
concern of all Americans. This legislation is a positive and significant 
step in holding irresponsible, deadbeat parents accountable to those who 
depend on them financially. I congratulate the sponsors and supporters 
of this important legislation, especially Congressman Henry Hyde, on 
their leadership in bringing it to a successful conclusion.

                                                             George Bush

The White House,
October 25, 1992.

                    Note: S. 1002, approved October 25, was assigned 
                        Public Law No. 102-521.