Orrin Hatch: “For women and children, we give child support first priority status-- up from seventh in line--meaning they will be paid…”

“For women and children, we give child support first priority status-- up from seventh in line--meaning they will be paid ahead of the lawyers. We make staying current on child support a condition of discharge. We make debt discharge in bankruptcy conditional upon full payment of past due child support and alimony. We make domestic support obligations automatically nondischargeable, without the costs of litigation. We prevent bankruptcy from holding up child custody, visitation, and domestic violence cases. We help avoid administrative roadblocks to get kids the support they need. Those are some of the things we are doing for women and children in this bankruptcy bill. There are more improvements over current law for women and children. We make payment of child support arrears a condition of plan confirmation. We provide better notice and more information for easier child support collection. We provide help in tracking down deadbeats. We allow for claims against deadbeat parents' property. We allow for payment of child support with interest by those with means. We facilitate wage withholding to collect child support from deadbeat parents. We make great strides against deadbeats.”