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Floor amendment to child-support guideline review panel debated; SB 805 set aside for the day
Summary
Senators debated a floor amendment to SB 805 that would direct the child support guidelines review panel to study ways to reduce arrearages and examine license-suspension penalties. After questions about language and intent, the bill was laid aside for further consultation.
Senators briefly debated a floor amendment to Senate Bill 805 on Wednesday that would add an enactment clause asking the child support guidelines review panel to study measures to reduce unpaid child-support arrearages and to consider whether the current license-suspension enforcement scheme should be modified.
Senator Sarravel (Senator from Eastern Fairfax County), the bill’s sponsor on the floor, explained the amendment and its aim: "The floor amendment . . . simply adds an enactment clause asking the child support guidelines review panel . . . to look at measures to help people reduce their arrearages and look at whether our current license suspension scheme needs to possibly be modified and then report back to us by the end of the year." He said the intent is to find ways to help people pay off arrears, noting that unpaid child support in Virginia is a large problem.
Senator Stewart (Senator from King George) asked for clarification and said he was concerned about the amendment as drafted, suggesting he may have misread it as proposing ways for people not to pay child support. Sarravel responded that the purpose is the opposite — to find ways to help people meet obligations — and characterized the arrearage total in general terms during the exchange. The senator from King George asked for time to consult on precise language.
At the senator's request and with the patron’s agreement, the Senate accepted a motion to "go by for the day" on SB 805; the bill was postponed pending further conversation about the amendment language.
Why it matters: SB 805 deals with the child-support guidelines table and how arrearages are handled; asking the review panel to study alternatives could lead to policy changes affecting enforcement and options available to parents with unpaid support.
Ending: The bill was not acted on and will return to the calendar after the sponsor and interested senators resolve language concerns.
