I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5140
To provide for improved procedures for the enforcement of child support
obligations of members of the Armed Forces.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
Mr. SKELTON (for himself, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. KYL, Mrs. SCHROEDER, Ms.
HARMAN, Mrs. LLOYD, Mrs. FOWLER, Ms. FURSE, Mr. PICKETT, Mr.
LANCASTER, Mr. RAVENEL, Mr. FARR of California, Mr. BUYER, and Mr.
UNDERWOOD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To provide for improved procedures for the enforcement of
child support obligations of members of the Armed Forces.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGA-
TIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) AVAILABILITY OF LOCATOR INFORMATION.—
(1) MAINTENANCE
OF
ADDRESS
INFORMA-
TION.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a
centralized personnel locator service that includes
the address of each member of the Armed Forces
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary. Upon re-
quest of the Secretary of Transportation, addresses
for members of the Coast Guard shall be included in
the centralized personnel locator service.
(2) TYPE OF ADDRESS.—
(A) RESIDENTIAL
ADDRESS.—Except as
provided in subparagraph (B), the address for
a member of the Armed Forces shown in the lo-
cator service shall be the residential address of
that member.
(B) DUTY ADDRESS.—The address for a
member of the Armed Forces shown in the loca-
tor service shall be the duty address of that
member in the case of a member—
(i) who is permanently assigned over-
seas, to a vessel, or to a routinely
deployable unit; or
(ii) with respect to whom the Sec-
retary concerned makes a determination
that the member’s residential address
should not be disclosed due to national se-
curity or safety concerns.
(3) UPDATING
OF
LOCATOR
INFORMATION.—
Within 30 days after a member listed in the locator
service establishes a new residential address (or a
new duty address, in the case of a member covered
by paragraph (2)(B)), the Secretary concerned shall
update the locator service to indicate the new ad-
dress of the member.
(4) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The Sec-
retary of Defense shall make information regarding
the address of a member of the Armed Forces listed
in the locator service available, on request, to the
Federal Parent Locator Service.
(b) FACILITATING GRANTING OF LEAVE FOR AT-
TENDANCE AT HEARINGS.—
(1) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of each
military department, and the Secretary of Transpor-
tation with respect to the Coast Guard when it is
not operating as a service in the Navy, shall pre-
scribe regulations to facilitate the granting of leave
to a member of the Armed Forces under the juris-
diction of that Secretary in a case in which—
(A) the leave is needed for the member to
attend a court hearing described in paragraph
(2);
(B) the member is not serving in or with
a unit deployed in a contingency operation (as
defined in section 101 of title 10, United States
Code); and
(C) the exigencies of military service (as
determined by the Secretary concerned) do not
otherwise require that such leave not be
granted.
(2) COVERED
COURT
HEARINGS.—Paragraph
(1) applies to a court hearing that is conducted in
connection with a civil action—
(A) to determine whether a member of the
Armed Forces is a natural parent of a child; or
(B) to determine an obligation of a mem-
ber of the Armed Forces to provide child sup-
port.
(3) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section:
(A) The term ‘‘court’’ has the meaning
given that term in section 1408(a) of title 10,
United States Code.
(B) The term ‘‘child support’’ has the
meaning given such term in section 462 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 662).
(c) PAYMENT OF MILITARY RETIRED PAY IN COM-
PLIANCE WITH COURT ORDERS.—
(1) DATE
OF
CERTIFICATION
OF
COURT
ORDER.—Section 1408 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended—
(A) by redesignating subsection (i) as sub-
section (j); and
(B) by inserting after subsection (h) the
following new subsection (i):
‘‘(i) CERTIFICATION DATE.—It is not necessary that
the date of a certification of the authenticity or complete-
ness of a copy of a court order for child support received
by the Secretary concerned for the purposes of this section
be recent in relation to the date of receipt by the Sec-
retary.’’.
(2) PAYMENTS
CONSISTENT
WITH
ASSIGN-
MENTS OF RIGHTS TO STATES.—Subsection (d)(1)
of such section is amended by inserting after the
first sentence the following: ‘‘In the case of a spouse
or 
former 
spouse 
who, 
pursuant 
to 
section
402(a)(26) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
602(26)), assigns to a State the rights of the spouse
or former spouse to receive support, the Secretary
concerned may make the child support payments re-
ferred to in the preceding sentence to that State in
amounts consistent with that assignment of rights.’’.
(3) ARREARAGES OWED BY MEMBERS OF THE
UNIFORMED SERVICES.—Section 1408(d) of title 10,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(6) In the case of a court order for which effective
service is made on the Secretary concerned on or after
the date of the enactment of this paragraph and which
provides for payments from the disposable retired pay of
a member to satisy the amount of child support set forth
in the court order, the authority provided in paragraph
(1) to make payments from the disposable retired pay of
a member to satisy the amount of child support set forth
in a court order shall apply to payment of any amount
of child support arrearages set forth in that court order
as well as to amounts of child support that currently be-
come due.’’.
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