A bill passed by the legislature this year and signed into law by Gov. Wally Hickel tightens state rules that require employers to withhold wages from a parent who owes court-ordered child support. The fee is deducted from the child-support payment. Division Director Mary Gay said federal law prohibits the fee from being imposed on custodial parents who also receive welfare, but that the fee is imposed on all other custodial parents. Recipients have complained that the fee should come out of delinquent parents' pockets, not from money used for children's needs, Rogers said. The new law went into effect July 8.
Most employers have weekly or biweekly pay periods.
In those cases, the obligor may not have a very good job, perhaps earning minimum wage. The legislation, introduced by the Hickel administration, made several technical changes to child-support rules that were necessary in order for the state to hold onto federal funding, Gay said. Senate Bill 190 was introduced without the fee provision, she said. But when the fee was inserted in the Senate, the administration did not oppose it, because it was deemed more important to get the entire package through the legislature, Gay said. It's just one of those little wrinkles, but we'll try to get it worked out next year.