FINAL BILL REPORT

                           ESB 5508

                          C 358 L 93

                      SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

Brief Description:  Modifying child support orders in dependency cases.

SPONSORS: Senators Hargrove, Niemi, A. Smith, Nelson and Spanel

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

BACKGROUND:

When children are placed in foster care, their parents are ordered to pay support for their care.  Most commonly, this support determination is made by the Office of Support Enforcement in a manner consistent with the child support tables in Title 26.

Often children are removed from their familial settings because of their parents' substance abuse or physical/emotional abuse directed at the child.  In these cases to facilitate a reestablishment of the family, the offending parent is ordered into appropriate treatment programs.  The expense of this participation when combined with the parent's child support obligation is believed to be causing many parents not to complete their treatment, thus frustrating the efforts of the courts in reunification and increasing public support expenditures.

SUMMARY:

In placing a child in dependency, a determination of the parent(s) child support obligation(s) is required in such a manner so as not to interfere with reunification efforts.  The child support schedule is modified to limit the imputation of income allowing a parent to be underemployed when undergoing treatment and to consider the present and future costs of such treatment.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate    45   0

House     96   0    (House amended)

Senate    46   0    (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:July 25, 1993