April SDARJ Town Hall A Deep Dive Into Understanding Delaware’s Faulty Child Support System
Every parent has an obligation to provide financial support for their child. In families where there has been a divorce or where the parents are unmarried, this obligation continues by requiring the non-custodial parent to pay child support to the custodial parent and to the state for mothers or guardians receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) as well as other state benefits. The Delaware Office of Child Support Services administers these payments, determining the amount to be paid and generating a child support order. But what happens when circumstances change for the non-custodial parent and they can no longer afford the required payments and fall into arrears? Sanctions exist for failure to pay that include automatic loss of a driver’s license and professional licenses required for barbering, plumbing and many other professions, without a hearing to determine their ability to pay. These sanctions also can include incarceration without a hearing that would provide information to confirm their ability to pay has been hindered. These sanctions, intended to enforce payment, limit the parent’s ability to earn income and further impede their ability to pay their child support obligation. Legislation introduced this session, HB267, would prohibit suspension of driver’s or professional licenses or incarceration without a hearing to determine ability to pay and whether the failure to pay was willful.
Join SDARJ for a two-part in-depth exploration of Delaware’s child support system beginning on April 9, 2024 at 7 p.m. Panelists will include Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, the prime sponsor of HB 267, and Theordore Mermigos, the Director of the Division of Child Support Services.
