Is There An Answer to Child Support Dilemma?

We're currently publishing a series on child support in Alabama. Is there an answer to all, or even any, of the state's problems? Here's an interesting read from Mark Davis:

The Alabama Child Support law mandate all child support must be sent to Montgomery and ran though a payment processing center for the state to receive federal incentive funding..The child support calculation forms mandated by the federal government include the income of both parents. Then it is calculated on a percentage of each parents income.

However, the State only mandates that the non-custodial parent send child support money to Montgomery. The State, by federal law, is required to return the money to the other parent within 3 days.

If the Great State of Alabama would mandate that each parent mail their share of child support money to Montgomery, the State would receive double the amount of federal child support incentive funding from the federal government.  The State would simply mail each parent their share within 3 days, as law requires.

Changing this aspect of child support would not only raise state revenue as our local Legislators say is needed,  it would also hold each parent accountable and actually show that each parent is spending the purported set amount on supporting the parties child. 

This would eliminate the state's concern that awarding the child with parenting time for one parent, other than a restrictive 80 days per year, would negatively impact the State's reliance on federal child support incentive funding.

At this point, the State might start seeing the importance of children with two fit parents having both parents active in their lives.  There is more than enough data that show the current pattern and practice of limiting a child's time to only one parent is harming society.

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SHOALS DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEETING

Monday, February, 18, 2013

 

Operating Engineers Hall

Dr. Hicks Blvd. in Florence

 

6:30 p.m. -- Meeting -- Speakers:

Jennifer Gray, Superintendent of Lauderdale County Schools

Anthony Olivis, Superintendent of Colbert County Schools

For additional information, call 256-764-0016

or email shoalsdemocrats@gmail.com

Shoalanda