Legislation to Aid Child Support Collection Passes State House

Apr 25, 2017 at 07:03 pm by bryan


The Tennessee House of Representatives passed legislation last week sponsored by State Representative Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) to aid in the collection of overdue child support payments from parents who have been incarcerated.

"The severe impact incarceration can have on a family is undeniable. This bill attempts to offer some financial reassurance to those left behind," said White.

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House Bill 993 allows for up to fifty percent of an inmate's prison account to be used to satisfy outstanding child support obligations. The types of prisoner accounts covered by the bill include commissary accounts and accounts containing wages received for work performed by the inmate while incarcerated. Under this legislation, deductions currently made from an inmate's account, such as victim compensation funds and court costs, will continue to receive priority.

"Regardless of incarceration, a parent should not be allowed to neglect his or her responsibility to a child, and this legislation is one way to help to ensure that a parent's obligation is fulfilled," White said. "If an inmate earns money while incarcerated, for example, some portion of those funds should be used to satisfy that inmate's outstanding child support obligations."

The companion bill, Senate Bill 1054, is scheduled for a vote in the Senate on April 26, 2017.

Rep. White, a former small business owner and teacher, was re-elected to a third term in the General Assembly in November. She lives in Murfreesboro and represents District 37 in Rutherford County, which includes portions of Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne, Walter Hill and Leanna.

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