LLM

As an employer, I have to say I am very disturbed by this. I've seen plenty of orders come through to withhold child support from paychecks. The problem is some of them were for children living with their now-married-to-each-other parents! These things live longer than roach infestations and the states have a vested interest to (1) take their cut and (2) make sure their bureaucracy has a reason for being.

None of our potential "witholdees" were rolling in bucks. If they wanted passports, it was to visit dying family members. This a shameful and un-American policy.

GUWonder

That is a situation that is probably becoming more frequent too. It does not speak well that we would hold hostage the ability to support and visit dying family members across the border or subject them to untimely government demands at the time before allowing such a visit.

rebadc

This is a short version of my story.

Post 9/11 I found myself unemployed for 8 months. I tried to keep up with all my obligations but fell short. I ended up owing over $5,000 in back child support.

I did not know it at the time but when I hit $5,000 my name and social security number were forwarded to the US Dept of Health and Human Services which then adds you to the US Dept of State passport denial program. This happens automatically and you may or may not be given a notice, I was not.

Jump ahead to this year and I need to re-new my passport.
In addition to all the BS with Dept of State not having resources in place to issue passports in a timely fashion I get a letter explaining to me that my passport is being held due to child support.

I call my attorney who has seen this before and he gets it worked out.

I had a letter from my employeer sent to the Child Support Enforcement Agency that stated I needed a passport for work.

My passport was released 2 weeks later.

Here is my problem with this provision.

The intention is to get those who are not paying (deadbeat) into a payment arangement, a collection method like the driver license suspension program.

Local agencies have adopted their own policies regarding when your name and social are pulled out of the program. The Federal Goverment did a great job getting me into the program, but left me at the mercy of my local child support agency to get me out.

My CSE agency plays hardball and wanted the full amount of arrears paid before they would release my passport.

This is clearly not the intention of the program. I had been paying current support and back support. My local CSEA was attempting to hold my passport hostage untill all my past support was paid.

The Government did a half-... job writting this provision. Once your on the list you cant appeal it at Dept of State. you must work it out at your local CSEA.

rebadc

Xyzzy

Do the local agencies get a cut of what they collect?

GUWonder

Well, there are other grounds on which people are denied passports too. Shachtman (sp???) vs. Dulles comes to mind as a case where he got his passport eventually. Then there was infamous retired CIA personnel Philip Agee who had to travel on a so-called honorary Nicaraguan and Grenadan passport and later German passports after he played games with CIA personnel names in a book and more.

Superguy

Good to know. I'll have to remember that if my ex decides she doesn't want to support our kid.

I can think of a few things. Wage garnishments. Probation until restitution is made. A few days in the poky ... enough to get the message across but not enough that the person falls further behind.

Jaimito Cartero

I certainly believe that parents should support their children. Not even looking at that issue, I can think of thousands of people who are on the No-Fly list, and yet have no reason to be. Similar names, cities, or just clerical errors. As Rebadc mentioned, it's easy to get on the list, but not so easy to get off.

rebadc

There is an admin fee figured into your payments.

Not like an collection agency where they take X% for a recovery.

The employeer is also allowed to take a few dollars each pay period to cover their expense.

Loren Pechtel

I think the real problem is that child support isn't adjusted for unemployment.

rebadc

True but modifying a support order everytime someone is unemployed, re-gains employment, receives a raise would cause a headache for the support agencies.

In my case the local agency will review a support order if income deviates +/- 30% for a period of 6 months.

Its a broken system on so many levels.

sonora

My ex husband never paid a dime to support our three children. While I was raising them, he went to Europe three times. I got my first passport two years ago.

Collecting child support is one of the things my law firm does now. We have had deadbeat parents garnished, arrested, jailed, evicted, seized real estate, cars, bank accounts, retirement savings and more.

I am all for this program. If you cannot support your kids, you should not be jetsetting around the world.

Prior to legislation making assets more reachable for child support collection, far too many children were living in poverty while absent parents frolicked.

I was personally very fortunate to earn enough money to support my kids without government help. Not all custodial parents have that great advantage.

For those whose incomes diminish, Motions to Modify are readily available. You should be willing to do any kind of job to support your kids. Wash dishes. Work the drive through. Hell, get a job with the TSA.

tev9999

A friend of mine asked me about this a few months ago since he knows I am a frequent international traveler, but I did not know the program existed then.

He has been divorced as long as I have know him, about 10 years. Several years after the divorce he had job issues and fell behind on his support. He is paying (direct from paycheck) but still has a backlog - I have no idea how much. He sees his kids all the time and gets along with his ex, so I would not call him a deadbeat.

He wanted to apply for a passport and may need to if his job needs to send him to Canada. Is there a way to expedite whatever requirements he needs in case he is on "the list"?

AAaLot

Drivers licenses / child support / parking tickets have nothing to do with passports and should not be mixed.

All laws make sense when they are first passed [such as this one], but they always morph to something unwanted. Think of any law, program, government department that you think should not exist. Think back to when the law, program, etc was passed. It made sense at that time, but it always morphs into something that does not make sense.

Everyone today is in technical violation of 'some law'...someday it make it too easy for government to impede our free travel [by not issuing us a passport, for example].

The federal government should not enforcing state laws.

TravelManKen

F@#k 'em, pay your child support. I don't give a d@mn about deadbeat dads screwing over the children they made. Every now and then an error is made, but that's the exception not the rule. Also, most states allow the person to resume normal activities (driver's license, prof'l license, etc.) once arrangements to pay have been made and payments begin.