State Considers Privatized Child Support Collection

 Posted on March 20, 2013 in Divorce

According to the Associated Press, a landmark bill was passed recently in the Mississippi Senate, which pushes ahead a plan to “privatize the collection of child support payments.” The plan will allow the Mississippi Department of Human Services to “contract with private vendors to collect unpaid child support, which lawmakers say totals more than $1 billion,” according to the Associated Press. Senator Terry Brown told reporters that he could not talk to anyone about which vendors had been chosen as appointees to accept the late payments. The focus, he said, is the thousands of Mississippi children who aren’t getting the money necessary for their raising that they’re entitled to.  The bill isn’t supported, necessarily, by the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, as the organization’s president, Brenda Scott, told the AP that it will likely result in a slew of government employees losing their jobs. She told the AP that if the state could provide “adequate staffing to the Department of Human Services workers already charged with collecting child support, the numbers would improve.” The bill has yet to be passed in the Mississippi State House, but if it’s approved, it could result in several other states adopting similar programs. State budgets have been summarily slashed following the nationwide economic recession that began in 2008. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “the latest state budget estimates continue to show that states’ ability to fund services remains hobbled by slow economic growth.” If states are looking to improve their child support payments, it may not be possible to simply up the staff at Human Services departments. Privatization of the industry may be a good solution. If passed, the bill could have positive ramifications across the country for single parents collecting child support. If you or someone you know is having trouble collecting child support or has questions about the process, don’t go through it alone. Contact a dedicated family law attorney today. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net