FAMILY INDEPENDENCE PROG: PATERNITY S.B. 650 (S-3):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 650 (Substitute S-3 as reported)
Committee: Families, Seniors and Human Services
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Social Welfare Act to excuse a recipient of Family Independence Program (FIP) assistance from establishing paternity if the mother were a victim of domestic violence, the child were a victim of abuse, the child were conceived as the result of nonconsensual sexual penetration, or the child were conceived as a result of acts for which the child's biological father was convicted of criminal sexual conduct.
The Act requires FIP assistance to be denied or terminated if a recipient fails, without good cause, to comply with applicable child support requirements, including efforts to establish paternity, and assign or obtain child support. Assistance may be restored if the noncompliant recipient complies with child support requirements, including the action to establish paternity and obtain child support. "Good cause" includes an instance in which such efforts would harm the child or endanger the child or the recipient.
The bill would expand good cause to include an instance in which efforts to establish paternity would harm the child or in which the mother were a victim of domestic violence, the child were a victim of abuse, the child was conceived as the result of nonconsensual sexual penetration, or the child was conceived as a result of acts for which the child's biological father was convicted of criminal sexual conduct.
MCL 400.57e & 400.57g Legislative Analyst: Nathan Leaman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill could result in a fiscal cost to the State and would have no fiscal impact on local government. Current practices identify paternity and assign or obtain child support for an individual who was conceived because of the criminal acts cited in the bill, or if the mother was a victim of domestic violence or the child was a victim of abuse. If a Family Independence Program group does not comply with the requirement of establishing paternity and seeking child support, benefits can be terminated. An increase in the number of good cause termination exemptions could result in a higher FIP caseload. Child support payments are included as countable income as a part of FIP group eligibility test. If a good cause exemption resulted in not establishing paternity and subsequently no child support payments were sought, a decrease in this type of countable income to a FIP group could result in a higher FIP caseload or longer case duration. Family Independence Program assistance is funded mainly from the Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, but there is a requirement that the State provide maintenance of effort funds to meet Federal requirements. A higher FIP caseload would result in a higher State-funded maintenance of effort.
Date Completed: 1-8-18 Fiscal Analyst: John Maxwell
This 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.