Committee approves moving bill to stop automatic child‑support COLA to further review in Children and Families committee

The committee considered House File 2‑456 on April 3, a proposal to remove automatic cost‑of‑living adjustments (COLA) for maintenance and child support orders and to rely instead on periodic reviews to ‘right‑size’ orders.

Sponsor Chair Scott said Minnesota and the federal government already require a review of all orders where a child receives public assistance at least every three years; the bill aligns review frequency with that cycle and seeks individualized adjustments rather than blanket COLA increases. Trish Schulphammer, director of child support services in the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, told members that COLA can produce large, sometimes inappropriate increases: she cited a 14% COLA increase in 2023 as an example that may not reflect an individual payer’s wage changes. “That was too much,” Schulphammer said, arguing case‑by‑case review leads to more realistic, enforceable orders.

Committee members asked about protecting children’s interests while ensuring orders are affordable for payers. Witnesses said modern child support calculations are based on both parents’ incomes and factors such as health insurance and childcare costs; a more individualized review is intended to produce sustainable obligations that are more likely to be paid.

The committee voted to re‑refer the bill to the House Committee on Children and Families Finance and Policy for further consideration.