We’ve got one week until Idaho lawmakers return to Boise to address an amended child support bill that would bring the state’s code into compliance with federal child support regulations. But what about the other states?
As we initially reported in April, nearly half of the states passed the legislation in the first four months of the year with almost no fanfare, according to the Uniform Law Commission.
Alaska passed theirs in late April with little dissent. According to the Associated Press, the state risked losing $19 million in federal funds for their child support program.
Late last week, Washington state also passed their child support bill unanimously, but not without amendments, according to the Spokesman-Review. One amendment says Washington will not enforce any orders that conflict with state code, with one state senator citing Sharia law as one of his concerns. Another says any foreign court order that violates a Washington resident’s constitutional rights would require the state Department of Social and Health Services to request a waiver of those provisions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read the full story at the Spokesman-Review here.
Kansas unanimously passed its bill late last week in one of its final actions of the year. Colorado passed theirs, too, with some dissent. The Texas Legislature is taking its time on the legislation; It was first introduced in February, but the public hearing in the House was just last week. Iowa also took its time, introducing the bill for the first time last week and passing it through a subcommittee today.
