William Bryan: “I am pleased to be joining with Senator Pressler as a cosponsor on this amendment to provide States the option to use…”

“I am pleased to be joining with Senator Pressler as a cosponsor on this amendment to provide States the option to use the IRS Federal income tax refund intercept process to try to recapture AFDC-type benefit overpayments. Some years ago, Congress provided for an IRS Federal income tax intercept process to be used to help retrieve child support payment arrearages. When an individual is in arrears on his or her child support payments, the IRS refund intercept allows the State to notify the IRS of the arrearage. If the individual is to receive a Federal income tax refund, the IRS can intercept the refund. Rather than having the tax refund go directly to the individual, the refund amount is intercepted and paid toward the child support arrearage. As I know a number of my colleagues have also done in their home States, I have spent significant time this year visiting welfare offices in both northern and southern Nevada. During those visits, I spent a significant amount of time listening to welfare eligibility workers. It surprised me to learn from these eligibility workers that State welfare agencies did not have the authority to notify the IRS to intercept Federal income tax refunds to try to recapture benefit overpayments for AFDC-type cash assistance.”