In 1996, the bipartisan welfare reform package, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, included the most sweeping crackdown on non-paying parents in history. Under the law, each state must operate a child support enforcement program meeting federal requirements in order to be eligible for TANF block grants. The law established a Federal Case Registry and National Directory of New Hires to track delinquent parents across state lines. It also required that employers report all new hires to state agencies for transmittal to the national directory and expanded and streamlined procedures for direct withholding of child support from wages. Since the creation of the national directory, 2.8 million parents who are not now paying child support to the children have been identified.
Location information is passed to the states for action.
Streamlined paternity establishment. Paternity establishment is a crucial step toward securing an emotional and financial connection between the father and child. The law streamlined the legal process for paternity establishment, making the process easier and faster. It also expanded the voluntary in-hospital paternity establishment program, started in 1993, and required a state affidavit for voluntary paternity acknowledgment. In addition, the law mandated that states publicize the availability and encourage the use of voluntary paternity establishment processes.