Karen Thurman: “I can assure you that my district offices who generally deal with these issues on an everyday basis, this is one of the…”

“I can assure you that my district offices who generally deal with these issues on an everyday basis, this is one of the No. 1 issues we deal with in trying to help single parents find or restore back child enforcement or child support payments because of the concern that they have for their children. Mr. Speaker, the Child Support Enforcement Program as it exists today appears to be dysfunctional. Caseloads are impossibly high and Federal requirements for providing services to interested parties may be conflicting, counterproductive, and unrealistic. Portions of the program may even present the intended recipients with economic disincentives to cooperate. Meanwhile, birth and family separation statistics indicate a growing number of potential clients. The statistics are staggering. One in four American families with children today are headed by women. In these single-parent families, the future of these children are directly linked to that of their mothers.”