Child Support Commission Recommendations

Child support commission recommendations - changes to the Colorado child support guidelines - administrative lien and levy - child support enforcement services fee - appropriation. The act makes changes to child support provisions recommended by the Colorado child support commission, including:

• Allocating "mandatory school fees", as defined in the act;
• Adding required federal factors that a court or delegate child support enforcement unit must consider when determining potential income of a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed;
• Reducing from 30 months to 24 months the length of time after birth that a custodial parent has before income is imputed to that parent, and changing how income is imputed for a parent sentenced to incarceration for 180 days or more or for a noncustodial parent who is attending postsecondary education;
• Increasing the self-support reserve for purposes of calculating child support from $1,100 to $1,500;
• Creating a $10 minimum order for noncustodial parents with income under $650 and making adjustments to the child support guidelines for parents with a combined, adjusted gross income up to $3,450;
• Requiring the noncustodial parent to notify the custodial parent if a child is eligible for dependent benefits based on the noncustodial parent's retirement or disability and establishing time frames for the custodial parent to apply for dependent benefits;
• Clarifying that the Colorado child support commission is required under federal law to consider child support guidelines at least once every 4 years and shall report to the general assembly;
• Requiring a verified copy of a support judgment to be provided to all parties upon filing with the court;
• Authorizing the state child enforcement agency to issue a notice of administrative lien and levy to any financial institution holding an obligor parent's account for an obligor who is past due on child support owed to a child for whom the obligee is receiving support enforcement services from the state; and
• Increasing the fee charged for child support enforcement services from $25, after the first $500 is collected, to $35 after the first $550 is collected, and creating a cash fund for the department of human services (department) to allow the department to spend a portion of the state share of the fee on program operations.

For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $143,650 from the child support deficit reduction act fee cash fund to the department of human services, office of self sufficiency, for the automated child support enforcement system.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)