Arkansas House Bill HB1793

Arkansas 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/29/23
• Refer: 3/29/23
• Failed: 5/1/23

Caption

To Expand Upon The Guidelines That The Family Support Chart Should Provide.

Impact

The amendments made by HB1793 could have a substantial impact on the state's child support laws, particularly in how they address joint custody arrangements and parenting time. By establishing numeric guidelines, the bill seeks to create a framework that could lead to fairer and more predictable outcomes for parents and children involved in custody disputes. It emphasizes the importance of overnight stays and their correlation with child support obligations, potentially reducing ambiguity in existing regulations.

Summary

House Bill 1793 aims to amend existing laws concerning child support in Arkansas by expanding the guidelines provided by the family support chart. This legislative action is significant as it introduces numeric guidelines for child support specifically related to parenting time schedules that include more than 141 overnight stays with the payor parent in a year. The intent behind this bill is to provide clearer and more structured support guidelines for families navigating child support arrangements. The proposed revisions are scheduled to take effect on or before January 1, 2024.

Contention

While there may be broad support for improving child support guidelines to reflect modern parenting dynamics, there are likely points of contention regarding the specifics of how these guidelines are applied. Stakeholders may express concerns over the adequacy and fairness of the revised chart, particularly around its implications for non-custodial parents and how it can affect their financial responsibilities. The bill’s reliance on fixed numerical guidelines might also be contentious as various family situations may require more flexibility and individual consideration.