U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd
Instead of the traditional two-parent, "Ozzie and Harriet" family of thirty years ago, many families today are often led by a single parent. In an age when divorce is far too prevalent, it is not uncommon to see a single parent struggling to raise children while working full time. Unfortunately, many of these single parents must bear an additional burden created by the other parent who has deserted his or her responsibility to contribute to the children's well-being.
In June, I supported legislation, which was just recently signed into law, to crack down on delinquent parents. The Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act closes loopholes which had previously allowed parents to slip across state lines to avoid paying child support. Specifically, the new law creates a first-time felony offense for parents owing $10,000 or more in child support payments, or being delinquent for two years. In addition, it is now a felony for a parent to cross a state border with the intent of evading child support when the amount owed is $5,000 or more, or is more than one year past due.
The new law toughens legislation I supported that passed the Congress in 1992. The Child Support Recovery Act made it a misdemeanor to purposely avoid making child support payments to a child in another state. In the five years since that law was enacted, child support collections have increased by nearly 50 percent.
Delinquent parents should not be allowed to neglect their responsibilities to their children. Too often, the lack of full and timely child support can place families in financial jeopardy. It can cause the responsible parent to have to choose between paying a month's health insurance premium or paying the rent. In many cases, it can leave the family in dire economic straits. On occasion, the parent raising the children is forced to work overtime hours or get a second job to make up for the financial shortfalls the family faces, only to forfeit the precious time needed to supervise children's activities and provide emotional support and moral guidance.
The Congress cannot force a person to be a loving, involved parent, but it can strengthen the government's ability
to make parents fulfill their minimum legal responsibility to provide financial support for their children. The
deliberate evasion of this basic obligation ought not to be tolerated. Delinquent parents, not their children,
should be punished for the deplorable decision to avoid paying child support.
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August 12, 1998
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