25 signatures reached
To: Rep. Jason Smith, Rep. Richard Neal, Rep. Darin LaHood, Rep. Danny Davis, Sen. Mike Crapo, Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Speaker of the House, House & Senate Minority Leaders
Family Court Fiduciary Reform: Protect Children, Parents, Civil Rights & National Funds Act
To all it may concern ;
Congress must act to reform a system that punishes poverty instead of supporting children. The Child Support Due Process, Equal Protection, and Fiscal Responsibility Act addresses decades of unfair, costly, and unconstitutional enforcement.
Congress must act to reform a system that punishes poverty instead of supporting children. The Child Support Due Process, Equal Protection, and Fiscal Responsibility Act addresses decades of unfair, costly, and unconstitutional enforcement.
Key Findings:
- Child Support Arrears: From 1998–2025, cumulative arrears reached ~$450 billion, with tens of thousands of parents incarcerated for nonpayment, undermining their ability to earn and support their children.
- Administrative Costs: Enforcement has cost ~$32.5 billion, often exceeding net support collected.
- National Debt Impact: Over the same period, federal accumulated debt/spending from 1998-present ballooned to ~$107.7 trillion, showing misaligned priorities.
- Inequity & Constitutional Concerns: Felony prosecutions, punitive interest, and incarceration without ability-to-pay hearings violate due process and equal protection, and often target poverty rather than child welfare.
This Act Will:
- Repeal federal felony child support provisions (18 U.S.C. § 228).
- Require ability-to-pay hearings before penalties, license suspensions, or incarceration.
- Automatically adjust arrears for income loss, verified unemployment, disability, or incarceration.
- Ensure gender-neutral, equal enforcement and reciprocal enforcement of financial and custodial orders.
- Prioritize support over punishment via job assistance, mediation, and debt reconciliation.
- Prohibit punitive interest or penalties unrelated to actual child expenses.
- Prevent children from being treated as government revenue or collateral for debt.
- Increase transparency and accountability of administrative costs, reimbursements, and enforcement outcomes.
Why This Matters:
Current policies trap families in cycles of debt and incarceration, divert billions from direct child support, and perpetuate inequality. Reform will protect children’s needs, respect constitutional rights, and restore fiscal responsibility.
Call to Action:
Sign to demand Child Support Reform that is fair, transparent, and focused on children, not punishment.
Why is this important?
The U.S. faces an unprecedented national debt, now exceeding $107 trillion, yet billions are spent punishing parents rather than supporting children. The current child support enforcement system drains resources, incarcerates parents, and worsens poverty—all while failing to prioritize children’s actual needs. Congress must act to reform this system.
Key Findings:
- National Debt & Fiscal Waste: From 1998–2025, federal child support enforcement contributed to mismanaged funds, with $32.5 billion spent on administrative costs—often exceeding the net support actually delivered to children. This waste worsens an already unsustainable national debt.
- Child Support Arrears: Over the same period, cumulative unpaid child support totaled ~$450 billion. Tens of thousands of parents are jailed annually for nonpayment, preventing them from earning income to support their children.
- Inequity & Constitutional Concerns: Felony prosecutions, punitive interest, and incarceration without consideration of ability to pay violate due process and equal protection. Current enforcement often penalizes poverty rather than ensuring child welfare.
This Act Will:
- Repeal federal felony child support provisions (18 U.S.C. § 228).
- Require ability-to-pay hearings before penalties, license suspensions, or incarceration.
- Automatically adjust arrears for income loss, verified unemployment, disability, or incarceration.
- Ensure gender-neutral, equal enforcement and reciprocal enforcement of financial and custodial orders.
- Prioritize support over punishment through job assistance, mediation, and debt reconciliation.
- Prohibit punitive interest or penalties unrelated to actual child expenses.
- Prevent children from being treated as government revenue or collateral for debt.
- Increase transparency and accountability for administrative costs, reimbursements, and enforcement outcomes.
Why This Matters:
Current policies trap families in cycles of debt and incarceration, divert billions from direct child support, and contribute to a spiraling national debt. Reform will ensure fiscal responsibility, protect children’s needs, uphold constitutional rights, and break the cycle of poverty that unfair enforcement perpetuates.
Call to Action:
Sign to demand child support reform that is fair, transparent, fiscally responsible, and focused on children, not punishment.
How it will be delivered
In person and via email