S-0978.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5376

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senators Long and Winsley

Read first time 01/24/97.  Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

Requiring the office of child support enforcement to assess and collect interest on past due child support.

    AN ACT Relating to interest on past due child support; and amending RCW 26.23.030.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 26.23.030 and 1989 c 360 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) There is created a Washington state support registry within the office of support enforcement as the agency designated in Washington state to administer the child support program under Title IV-D of the federal social security act.  The registry shall:

    (a) Account for and disburse all support payments received by the registry;

    (b) Maintain the necessary records including, but not limited to, information on support orders, support debts, the date and amount of support due; the date and amount of payments; and the names, social security numbers, and addresses of the parties;

    (c) Develop procedures for providing information to the parties regarding action taken by, and support payments collected and distributed by the registry((;)).

    (2) The office of support enforcement ((may)) shall assess and collect interest at the rate of twelve percent per year on unpaid child support that has accrued under any support order entered into the registry.  This interest rate shall not apply to those support orders already specifying an interest assessment at a different rate.

    (3) The secretary of social and health services shall adopt rules for the maintenance and retention of records of support payments and for the archiving and destruction of such records when the support obligation terminates or is satisfied.  When a support obligation established under court order entered in a superior court of this state has been satisfied, a satisfaction of judgment form shall be prepared by the registry and filed with the clerk of the court in which the order was entered.

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