Because the agency provides quarterly wage reports, it now has access to better data on Americans earnings than the IRS, which reports only on an annual basis. Maya Bernstein, an associate at the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson, who previously oversaw privacy issues at the Office of Management and Budget, is disturbed by the fact that information about any American who changes jobs is placed in the database, though only a small percentage of that group actually owes any child support. You have over 200 million records, and last I checked we were talking about 6 million people who were noncompliant with their child support obligations, she explains. In addition, the law requires that private financial institutions allow state child support agencies to access their records and put liens on funds held by deadbeat parents. The law requires states to begin collecting Social Security numbers when citizens apply for drivers licenses, professional licenses and even hunting licenses.
States can then deny licenses to delinquents until they pay up.
At the same time, the Administration for Children and Families has backed states that have taken their enforcement mechanisms even further. For example, ACF provided seed money to Rhode Island to help the state set up the Child Support Lien Network. The network enables state child support administrators to access insurance company records and place liens on settlements due delinquent parents. The 1996 welfare bill gave child support agents subpoena power over insurance company records. Five other New England states have joined the Rhode Island network, and Rhode Island s child support division plans to take its network national in the coming year.