NCJ Number
116517
Journal
State Court Journal Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1989) Pages: 18-23,37
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Federal regulations for all interstate child support enforcement and paternity cases covered under Title IV, Part D, of the Social Security Act are discussed.
Abstract
Federal regulations clarifying the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 were issued in May 1985 and more recently in February 1988. The purposes of the new interstate regulations are to clarify State responsibilities in processing interstate child support and paternity cases and to emphasize the need for States to be more responsive to Title IV-D cases. Under the latest regulations, each State is responsible for implementing the Federal guidelines. State courts and the judiciary must give priority to interstate cases, although the level of court involvement in the Child Support Enforcement Program varies from State to State. State long-arm statutes give courts jurisdiction over defendants in other States, provided those defendants fall into one of the categories contained in the new regulations. States are required to use these long-arm statutes to establish paternity in appropriate cases. The new Federal regulations also require Title IV-D agencies to improve information processing for the requesting State using standardized forms. Overall, legal and judicial systems at the State level, as well as designated Title IV-D agencies, should assume primary responsibility for improving interstate paternity adjudications and child support enforcement. 12 references.