BILL REQ. #:  S-5010.1 

READ FIRST TIME 03/04/10.   

     AN ACT Relating to suspending the child support pass-through payment; amending RCW 26.23.035; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 26.23.035 and 2007 c 143 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department of social and health services shall adopt rules for the distribution of support money collected by the division of child support. These rules shall:
     (a) Comply with Title IV-D of the federal social security act as amended by the personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996 and the federal deficit reduction act of 2005;
     (b) Direct the division of child support to distribute support money within eight days of receipt, unless one of the following circumstances, or similar circumstances specified in the rules, prevents prompt distribution:
     (i) The location of the custodial parent is unknown;
     (ii) The support debt is in litigation;
     (iii) The division of child support cannot identify the responsible parent or the custodian;
     (c) Provide for proportionate distribution of support payments if the responsible parent owes a support obligation or a support debt for two or more Title IV-D cases; and
     (d) Authorize the distribution of support money, except money collected under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 664, to satisfy a support debt owed to the IV-D custodian before the debt owed to the state when the custodian stops receiving a public assistance grant.
     (2) The division of child support may distribute support payments to the payee under the support order or to another person who has lawful physical custody of the child or custody with the payee's consent. The payee may file an application for an adjudicative proceeding to challenge distribution to such other person. Prior to distributing support payments to any person other than the payee, the registry shall:
     (a) Obtain a written statement from the child's physical custodian, under penalty of perjury, that the custodian has lawful custody of the child or custody with the payee's consent;
     (b) Mail to the responsible parent and to the payee at the payee's last known address a copy of the physical custodian's statement and a notice which states that support payments will be sent to the physical custodian; and
     (c) File a copy of the notice with the clerk of the court that entered the original support order.
     (3) If the Washington state support registry distributes a support payment to a person in error, the registry may obtain restitution by means of a set-off against future payments received on behalf of the person receiving the erroneous payment, or may act according to RCW 74.20A.270 as deemed appropriate. Any set-off against future support payments shall be limited to amounts collected on the support debt and ten percent of amounts collected as current support.
     (4) The division of child support shall ensure that the fifty dollar pass through payment, as required by 42 U.S.C. Sec. 657 before the adoption of P.L. 104-193, is terminated immediately upon July 27, 1997, and all rules to the contrary adopted before July 27, 1997, are without force and effect.
     (5) ((Effective October 1, 2008,)) Until June 30, 2013, consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 657(a) as amended by section 7301(b)(7)(B) of the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, the department shall pass through child support that does not exceed fifty dollars per month collected on behalf of the family. The department has rule-making authority to implement this subsection.
     (6) After June 30, 2013, consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 657(a) as amended by section 7301(b)(7)(B) of the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, the department shall pass through child support that does not exceed one hundred dollars per month collected on behalf of a family, or in the case of a family that includes two or more children, an amount that is not more than two hundred dollars per month. The department has rule-making authority to implement this subsection.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect July 1, 2010.