Committee moves bill to place selected child-support rules into statute

House Bill 336, presented to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee by Representative Lucas Kaler, transfers selected provisions from IDAPA child-support rules into statute and makes several enforcement and administrative clarifications.

Kaler told the committee the measure moves sections of IDAPA 16.03.03 related to child-support services into statute. Among the substantive items described in committee: the department would be allowed to intercept and retain child-support payments from an obligor parent to assist with foster-care placement; the department may notify consumer reporting agencies of overdue support exceeding $2,000 within a three-month arrearage period; and some statutory requirements for income-withholding procedures were struck from the statute (as they are managed administratively). The bill also adds a provision for review and modification of support orders and strikes a department fee schedule section from statute. Kaler said the fiscal impact would include an estimate of savings from reduced rule publication, approximately $61 per page saved.

Committee members asked no recorded substantive questions at the hearing. Senator Blaylock moved, and Senator Shippey seconded, that House Bill 336 be sent to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The committee approved the motion by voice vote with no opposition recorded.