A law passed by the House would reduce penalties to states who have not computerized their child support systems. The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Clay Shaw (R-FL), would decrease the penalty to 4 percent of their child support funding this year, 8 percent next year, 16 percent in 2000 and 20 percent each following year.
Currently, states without a working computer system for child support tracking will lose all federal child support funding. Without a child support program, states could lose their block grants for welfare funding.
States without working computer systems include: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, as well as the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
