ASSEMBLY CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND FOOD SECURITY
COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 3517
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MAY 16, 2024
The Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee
reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 3517.
This bill is to be known as the “Equitable Outcomes in Child
Support Collection Act.” The bill amends section 1 of P.L.1962,
c.142 (C.30:4C-29.1) to remove provisions in the statutes that
outline how the Department of Children and Families currently
collects child support obligations from legally responsible persons
to offset the costs of maintenance, incurred by the Division of Child
Protection and Permanency (DCPP), on behalf of children in the
DCPP’s care or custody, and establishes new procedures for such
collection.
Specifically, the bill stipulates that any current child support
obligation or any unpaid outstanding arrears balance of a court-
ordered child support obligation, all unsatisfied civil judgments
based on a court-ordered child support obligation, all warrants
issued solely based on the alleged failure to pay or the sole purpose
of enforcing a child support obligation, or any current outstanding
liens entered on any and all property to which the defendant has or
has acquired an interest, which is owed to reimburse the DCPP for
maintenance costs incurred while a child was in its care or custody,
are deemed null and void and are to be vacated and discharged.
This bill updates the State’s statutes concerning the liability for
maintenance costs of children in the care or custody of the DCPP to
align with revised policies issued in 2022 by the Children’s Bureau,
an office of the federal Administration for Children and Families,
allowing for Title IV-E agencies to define more narrowly when it is
appropriate to seek child support from legally responsible persons.