Bill to curb state child-support cost recovery for parents with children in foster care wins broad support

Delegate Karen Simpson told the committee HB 324 would limit routine state child-support referrals for parents whose children are in foster care, a practice known as cost recovery. Simpson and legal advocates said treating low-income parents as enforcement targets undermines reunification and often costs the state more to pursue than it collects.

Professor Daniel Hatcher and public-defender witnesses summarized scholarship and practice showing administrative collection against families in the welfare system reduces financial capacity for reunification and often is not cost-effective. Haley Lichterman of the Office of the Public Defender proposed amendments to clarify statutory cross-references, require cases involving indigent parents to be heard in appropriate juvenile or family-court proceedings, and reduce litigation risk while preserving rare exceptions.

Department of Human Services language from 2025 and testimony from family-law advocates were cited as precedent; supporters argued the bill mirrors federal guidance advising that routine referral for cost recovery is inappropriate for most foster-care cases. The committee heard that several other states have limited or reversed routine cost-recovery practices and that Maryland should do likewise to reduce harm and administrative waste.

No vote was taken during the hearing; committee members asked sponsors to work with judiciary and agency staff on clarifying language for limited exceptions and judicial review.