WikiLeaks Document Release
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22377
February 2, 2009
Congressional Research Service
Report RS22377
Child Support Provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of
2005 (P.L. 109-171)
Carmen Solomon-Fears, Domestic Social Policy Division
February 14, 2006
Abstract. Among other things, P.L. 109-171 (the budget reconciliation measure, now referred to as the Deficit
Reduction Act of 2005 - S. 1932) made a number of changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program.
The act will reduce the federal matching rate for laboratory costs associated with paternity establishment from
90% to 66%, end the federal matching of state expenditures of federal CSE incentive payments reinvested back
into the program, and require states to assess a $25 annual user fee for child support services provided to families
with no connection to the welfare system. P.L. 109-171 also simplifies CSE distribution rules and extends the
”families first” policy by providing incentives to states to encourage them to allow more child support to go to
both former welfare families and families still on welfare. In addition, P.L. 109-171 revises some child support
enforcement collection mechanisms and adds others. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the
CSE provisions contained in P.L. 109-171 will reduce federal costs of the CSE program by $1.5 billion over the
fiveyear period FY2006-FY2010.
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22377Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
CRS Report for Congress
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Order Code RS22377
February 14, 2006
Child Support Provisions in the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171)
Carmen Solomon-Fears
Specialist in Social Legislation
Domestic Social Policy Division
Summary
Among other things, P.L. 109-171 (the budget reconciliation measure, now referred
to as the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 — S. 1932) made a number of changes to the
Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. The act will reduce the federal matching
rate for laboratory costs a