    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [July 21, 1996]
    [Page 1166]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1166]]

    Memorandum on Criminal Child Support Enforcement
    July 21, 1996

    Memorandum for the Attorney General

    Subject: Criminal Child Support Enforcement

        I am proud of the progress we have made over the last 3 years in
    addressing the problem of child support enforcement.
        While State and local agencies have and must have primary
    responsibility for child support enforcement, the Federal Government has
    a crucially important role to play. One aspect of that role involves
    bringing prosecutions under the Child Support Recovery Act of 1992,
    which for the first time created a Federal criminal offense for
    interstate cases, where persons willfully fail to pay child support for
    their child who lives in another State.
        The Department of Justice, working through the local United States
    Attorneys' offices, has brought child support cases across the Nation to
    get the message out that a person who willfully avoids child support
    payments for a child in another State runs a grave risk of Federal
    prosecution. Each U.S. Attorney's office has a child support
    coordinator; the Federal Bureau of Investigation has committed its
    resources; the Department of Justice has authorized the Department of
    Health and Human Services' Inspector General to investigate these cases.
        But these important measures are not enough.
        The Department of Justice, working with the Department of Health and
    Human Services and the States, must pursue all available measures to
    punish those who have tried to evade their child support obligations.
        Therefore, I direct you to take the following important steps to
    strengthen our child support enforcement efforts.
        First, I direct you to convene a task force consisting of Federal,
    State, and local prosecutors, the Department of Health and Human
    Services, and the State agencies responsible for child support
    enforcement to enhance criminal prosecution of child support debtors.
    You should consider:

                measures to improve the process of referring appropriate
                cases for Federal, State, or local criminal enforcement;

                the adequacy of all applicable Federal and State laws;

                the availability and appropriate allocation of resources;
                and

                ways to coordinate Federal, State, and local efforts to make
                enforcement most effective.
        Second, I direct you to review the sentences that have been imposed
    upon those convicted under the Child Support Recovery Act, including
    restitution orders, incarceration, and community service, with the goal
    of identifying novel and effective sentencing options, and send guidance
    to Federal prosecutors setting forth factors to consider when seeking
    sentencing orders from courts.
        Third, I direct you to draft legislation to amend the Child Support
    Recovery Act to establish a felony offense for a person who willfully
    fails to pay child support for a child in another State where there has
    been an egregious failure to meet child support obligations.
        Fourth, I direct you, as part of your effort to enforce criminal
    laws, to cooperate with the Department of Health and Human Services to
    place on their Internet child support page the names of persons who have
    been indicted under Federal law for willfully failing to pay child
    support and have fled in an attempt to escape criminal prosecution.
        Finally, I direct you to report back to me within 90 days on the
    actions you have taken to fulfill this directive.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press Secretary
    on July 22.