On June 18, the House approved, 394-27, the International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act (H.R. 1896).
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA), would ensure that the United States maintains its commitment to the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. Specifically, the bill would authorize access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by foreign countries, allowing participating foreign governments to locate persons wanted for support enforcement and enforce child support measures across national boundaries.
States would have the option of requiring individuals living in participating foreign countries to apply for child enforcement services through that country’s central authority.
The measure also would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to create and enforce standards for data exchange regarding child support enforcement. The new standards would increase the availability of information for the purposes of locating individuals for child support enforcement.
