OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT DUTIES H.B. 5502: FLOOR SUMMARY
[Please see the PDF version of this analysis, if available, to view this image.]


House Bill 5502 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Representative Lesia Liss
House Committee: Families and Children's Services
Senate Committee: Families and Human Services

CONTENT
The bill would amend the Office of Child Support Act to require the Office of Child Support to coordinate, through the Friend of the Court (FOC) Bureau, the provision of services under Title IV-D by FOC offices. (Title IV-D of the Social Security Act deals with the enforcement of child support and parenting time orders, and provides money to states for those purposes.)


The bill also would require the Office of Child Support, pursuant to Federal law, to determine a method to calculate a maximum obligation for reimbursement of medical expenses in connection with a mother's pregnancy and the birth of a child. The method would have to be based on each parent's ability to pay and on any other relevant factor, and apportion the expenses in the same manner as health care expenses are divided under the child support formula established under the FOC Act.


In addition, the Office of Child Support Act requires the Office to initiate offset proceedings against the State and Federal tax refunds of a parent who owes past due child support. The Office must do so upon receiving a request from the Friend of the Court. Under the bill, the Office also would have to initiate offset proceedings as required by Federal regulations adopted under Title IV-D.


The bill would repeal Section 6a of the Act, which provides for the Child Support Bench Warrant Enforcement Fund.


The bill is tie-barred to Senate Bill 99. (That bill would make various changes to the Friend of the Court Act. Among other things, the bill would require the FOC Bureau to coordinate the provision of Title IV-D services by the FOC and cooperate with the Office of Child Support in providing those services. The bill also would revise the definition of "support" as it refers to the expenses of pregnancy.)


MCL 400.233 & 400.233a Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would require the Office of Child Support in the Department of Human Services to determine the financial obligation of a noncustodial parent for the medical expenses associated with a mother's pregnancy and the birth of a child in a manner consistent with Federal law. The Office of Child Support has noted that the legislation describes a process already used by the Department of Human Services and that no change in program policy would be necessary to implement the legislation. This suggests that there would be no fiscal impact associated with passage of the bill.


Date Completed: 12-10-09 Fiscal Analyst: David Fosdick

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. hb5502/0910