H-3680.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2787
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1994 Regular Session
By Representatives Thibaudeau, Brown, Wolfe, Leonard, Holm, Karahalios and Eide
Read first time 01/24/94. Referred to Committee on Human Services.
AN ACT Relating to child support assurance; adding a new section to chapter 74.20A RCW; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that reliable receipt of child support payments by custodial parents, particularly those who have limited income, is essential to maintaining economic self-sufficiency. The legislature intends to study the feasibility of establishing a child support assurance system in Washington state that will protect families from financial disruption caused by a noncustodial parent's inability or unwillingness to pay child support.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The Washington state institute for public policy shall undertake a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a child support assurance system in Washington state. A child support assurance system is one that provides a guarantee of a minimum child support benefit to custodial parents with a child support order, that is uniform and independent of the actual support order established for any child. The study must include, but not be limited to, consideration of the following issues:
(1) Whether child support assurance payments should be available to custodial parents, regardless of financial need, or be limited to custodial parents with income below a fixed threshold level;
(2) How the amount of the monthly child support assurance payment should be determined;
(3) Whether, or to what extent, child support assurance payments should be disregarded as income for purposes of determining eligibility for income assistance benefits;
(4) How child support assurance payments can be structured to minimize or avoid adverse effects on food stamp benefits, subsidized housing, or the earned income tax credit; and
(5) Whether additional steps should be taken to increase the number of children for whom a child support order has been issued.
The results of the study must be submitted to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 1994.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 74.20A RCW to read as follows:
If federal funds become available to the states for the purpose of conducting child support demonstration projects, the department shall take any actions necessary to apply for the funds.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The sum of fifty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1995, from the general fund to The Evergreen State College solely for the purposes of section 2 of this act.
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