H-2916.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2291

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Buck, Benson, Sump, Carrell, Talcott, Anderson, D. Schmidt and Dunn

Read first time 01/14/2002.  Referred to Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law.

Establishing an official date of receipt of child support payments.

    AN ACT Relating to establishing an official date of receipt of child support payments; adding a new section to chapter 26.21 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 26.21 RCW under the subchapter heading "Article 4" to read as follows:

    (1) A payment made under a support order that has been properly addressed and deposited postpaid in the United States mail is deemed to have been received by a support enforcement agency or tribunal of this state on the date of the mailing.  It will be presumed that the date shown by the post office cancellation mark on the envelope is the date of mailing.

    (2) A person who causes a cancellation mark to reflect a date earlier than the actual date of mailing is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable under RCW 9.92.030.

                            --- END ---