Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Judiciary Committee

HB 1603

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

Child support obligations are established in the context of dissolution or parentage proceedings through the court or an administrative process with the Division of Child Support. The amount of child support is determined using the statutory child support schedule, which includes an economic table and the child support worksheets developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The economic table is used to establish the basic support obligation for each parent, which can then be modified based on statutorily established adjustments and deviations. The basic support obligation is based on the combined monthly net income of the parents, the number of children before the court, and the ages of those children. The economic table has different amounts, in each income bracket, for children up to age 11 and children ages 12 to 18. Each parent's share of the basic support obligation is determined by the parent's proportionate share of the combined monthly net income. After determining the basic support obligation based on the economic table, the judge considers any adjustments to the basic support obligation, such as medical support, day care, and other special expenses, which results in a presumptive amount of child support called the "standard calculation." The judge then has discretion to consider reasons to deviate from the standard calculation.

Every four years, the Division of Child Support must convene a workgroup to review the state's child support laws. This process was established by the Legislature to comply with federal requirements that states conduct quadrennial reviews of their child support laws. The final report of the 2011 Child Support Workgroup (2011 Workgroup) recommended adoption of a new child support economic table that is based on more current data developed by an economist at the request of the 2011 Workgroup. The 2015 Child Support Workgroup also recommended adoption of the new economic table recommended by the 2011 Workgroup.

Summary of Bill:

The child support economic table developed for and recommended by the 2011 Child Support Workgroup is adopted. Under the new economic table, the basic support obligation is based on the combined monthly net income of the parents and the number of children before the court. The new economic table no longer provides different basic support obligation amounts depending on the age of the children.