The Native American Child Support Program in the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement has been consulting with the Tribes and Native American organizations to ensure that Native American children receive the child support to which they are entitled. American Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations will be eligible to apply for grants to operate full or partial child support enforcement programs. The projects must meet child support enforcement criteria that will be issued through regulations in mid-1998.
Formal consultation is planned for the proposed rules.
Native American reservations are governed by Tribal laws which may differ from those of the States, just as laws differ from State to State. The differences, and the various types of State and Tribal court systems, sometimes make it difficult to enforce child support orders or to locate absent parents on reservations. However, some States and Tribes have entered into Cooperative Agreements to facilitate obtaining child support for Native American children. If Tribes do not operate child support enforcement programs, it is expected that more Tribes and States will enter into Cooperative Agreements to work together to carry out their child support responsibilities. In the interim, Tribal and State child support staffs will continue to pursue all available means to assist Native American children to receive support.