With the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Bush Congress ended Federal matching of State spending of child support incentive payments. There is proposed legislation, H.R.1386 - Child Support Protection Act of 2007, sitting in the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, one of whose members happens to be my current Rep. Pete Stark. Time to give his office a call.
Some outrage below the fold.
I came across this today on my county's child support services FAQ:
Q: What is the cost of child support services?
A: There is no fee for child support services for children who have received or are receiving public assistance through the Title IV-A (TANF) programs. For families who have never received TANF assistance, effective October 1, 2010, California and Federal regulations require that a fee of $25 be assessed IF $500.00 or more is collected between October 1 and September 30 of each year. The fee is assessed in October of the following year. For example, if $500. or more is collected between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011 on behalf of a family who has never received TANF assistance, a fee of $25.00 will be deducted from the first payment collected after October 1, 2011. (Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. PL109-171).
So let me get this straight: to reduce, by mere pennies, the federal deficit that has been caused by unprovoked war for oil and glory and corresponding tax cuts for the obscenely and undeservedly rich, we must push the cost of child support services for the needy onto the single moms. What an utterly superb gesture.