H. R. 4—134
‘‘(B) the certification by the State agency is furnished
to the Secretary in such format, and accompanied by such
supporting documentation, as the Secretary may require.’’.
(b) 
STATE
DEPARTMENT
PROCEDURE
FOR
DENIAL
OF
PASSPORTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall, upon certifi-
cation by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
transmitted under section 452(k) of the Social Security Act,
refuse to issue a passport to such individual, and may revoke,
restrict, or limit a passport issued previously to such individual.
(2) LIMIT ON LIABILITY.—The Secretary of State shall not
be liable to an individual for any action with respect to a
certification by a State agency under this section.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amendments made
by this section shall become effective October 1, 1996.
SEC. 371. INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT.
(a) AUTHORITY FOR INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.—Part D of
title IV, as amended by section 362(a) of this Act, is amended
by adding after section 459 the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 459A. INTERNATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT.
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY FOR DECLARATIONS.—
‘‘(1) DECLARATION.—The Secretary of State, with the
concurrence of the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
is authorized to declare any foreign country (or a political
subdivision thereof) to be a foreign reciprocating country if
the foreign country has established, or undertakes to establish,
procedures for the establishment and enforcement of duties
of support owed to obligees who are residents of the United
States, and such procedures are substantially in conformity
with the standards prescribed under subsection (b).
‘‘(2) REVOCATION.—A declaration with respect to a foreign
country made pursuant to paragraph (1) may be revoked if
the Secretaries of State and Health and Human Services deter-
mine that—
‘‘(A) the procedures established by the foreign nation
regarding the establishment and enforcement of duties of
support have been so changed, or the foreign nation’s
implementation of such procedures is so unsatisfactory,
that such procedures do not meet the criteria for such
a declaration; or
‘‘(B) continued operation of the declaration is not
consistent with the purposes of this part.
‘‘(3) FORM
OF
DECLARATION.—A declaration under para-
graph (1) may be made in the form of an international agree-
ment, in connection with an international agreement or cor-
responding foreign declaration, or on a unilateral basis.
‘‘(b) STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PROCE-
DURES.—
‘‘(1) MANDATORY
ELEMENTS.—Child support enforcement
procedures of a foreign country which may be the subject of
a declaration pursuant to subsection (a)(1) shall include the
following elements:
‘‘(A) The foreign country (or political subdivision
thereof) has in effect procedures, available to residents
of the United States—
H. R. 4—135
‘‘(i) for establishment of paternity, and for
establishment of orders of support for children and
custodial parents; and
‘‘(ii) for enforcement of orders to provide support
to children and custodial parents, including procedures
for collection and appropriate distribution of support
payments under such orders.
‘‘(B) The procedures described in subparagraph (A),
including legal and administrative assistance, are provided
to residents of the United States at no cost.
‘‘(C) An agency of the foreign country is designated
as a Central Authority responsible for—
‘‘(i) facilitating child support enforcement in cases involving
residents of the foreign nation and residents of the United
States; and
‘‘(ii) ensuring compliance with the standards established
pursuant to this subsection.
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services and the Secretary of State, in consultation
with the States, may establish such additional standards as
may be considered necessary to further the purposes of this
section.
‘‘(c) DESIGNATION OF UNITED STATES CENTRAL AUTHORITY.—
It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to facilitate child support enforcement in cases involving
residents of the United States and residents of foreign nations
that are the subject of a declaration under this section, by activities
including—
‘‘(1) development of uniform forms and procedures for use
in such cases;
‘‘(2) notification of foreign reciprocating countries of the
State of residence of individuals sought for support enforcement
purposes, on the basis of information provided by the Federal
Parent Locator Service; and
‘‘(3) such other oversight, assistance, and coordination
activities as the Secretary may find necessary and appropriate.
‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—States may enter into reciprocal
arrangements for the establishment and enforcement of child sup-
port obligations with foreign countries that are not the subject
of a declaration pursuant to subsection (a), to the extent consistent
with Federal law.’’.
(b) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 454 (42 U.S.C. 654),
as amended by sections 301(b), 303(a), 312(b), 313(a), 333, 343(b),
and 370(a)(2) of this Act, is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (30);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (31)
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding after paragraph (31) the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(32)(A) provide that any request for services under this
part by a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign country
with which the State has an arrangement described in section
459A(d)(2) shall be treated as a request by a State;
‘‘(B) provide, at State option, notwithstanding paragraph
(4) or any other provision of this part, for services under the
plan for enforcement of a spousal support order not described
H. R. 4—136
in paragraph (4)(B) entered by such a country (or subdivision);
and
‘‘(C) provide that no applications will be required from,
and no costs will be assessed for such services against, the
foreign reciprocating country or foreign obligee (but costs may
at State option be assessed against the obligor).’’.
SEC. 372. FINANCIAL INSTITUTION DATA MATCHES.
Section 466(a) (42 U.S.C. 666(a)), as amended by sections 315,
317(a), 323, 365, and 369 of this Act, is amended by adding at
the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(17) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION DATA MATCHES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Procedures under which the State
agency shall enter into agreements with financial institu-
tions doing business in the State—
‘‘(i) to develop and operate, in coordination with
such financial institutions, a data match system, using
automated data exchanges to the maximum extent fea-
sible, in which each such financial institution is
required to provide for each calendar quarter the name,
record address, social security number or other tax-
payer identification number, and other identifying
information for each noncustodial parent who main-
tains an account at such institution and who owes
past-due support, as identified by the State by name
and social security number or other taxpayer identifica-
tion number; and
‘‘(ii) in response to a notice of lien or levy, encum-
ber or surrender, as the case may be, assets held
by such institution on behalf of any noncustodial parent
who is subject to a child support lien pursuant to
paragraph (4).
‘‘(B) REASONABLE FEES.—The State agency may pay
a reasonable fee to a financial institution for conducting
the data match provided for in subparagraph (A)(i), not
to exceed the actual costs incurred by such financial institu-
tion.
‘‘(C) LIABILITY.—A financial institution shall not be
liable under any Federal or State law to any person—
‘‘(i) for any disclosure of information to the State
agency under subparagraph (A)(i);
‘‘(ii) for encumbering or surrendering any assets
held by such financial institution in response to a
notice of lien or levy issued by the State agency as
provided for in subparagraph (A)(ii); or
‘‘(iii) for any other action taken in good faith to
comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A).
‘‘(D) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this paragraph—
‘‘(i) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The term ‘financial
institution’ means any Federal or State commercial
savings bank, including savings association or coopera-
tive bank, Federal- or State-chartered credit union,
benefit association, insurance company, safe deposit
company, money-market mutual fund, or any similar
entity authorized to do business in the State; and
‘‘(ii) ACCOUNT.—The term ‘account’ means a
demand deposit account, checking or negotiable with-
H. R. 4—137
drawal order account, savings account, time deposit
account, or money-market mutual fund account.’’.
SEC. 373. ENFORCEMENT OF ORDERS AGAINST PATERNAL OR MATER-
NAL GRANDPARENTS IN CASES OF MINOR PARENTS.
Section 466(a) (42 U.S.C. 666(a)), as amended by sections 315,
317(a), 323, 365, 369, and 372 of this Act, is amended by adding
at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(18) ENFORCEMENT
OF
ORDERS
AGAINST
PATERNAL
OR
MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS.—Procedures under which, at the
State’s option, any child support order enforced under this
part with respect to a child of minor parents, if the custodial
parents of such child is receiving assistance under the State
program under part A, shall be enforceable, jointly and sever-
ally, against the parents of the noncustodial parents of such
child.’’.
SEC. 374. NONDISCHARGEABILITY 
IN 
BANKRUPTCY 
OF 
CERTAIN
DEBTS FOR THE SUPPORT OF A CHILD.
(a) AMENDMENT TO TITLE 11 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE.—
Section 523(a) of title 11, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (16) by striking the period at the end
and inserting ‘‘; or’’,
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(17) to a State or municipality for assistance provided
by such State or municipality under a State program funded
under section 403 of the Social Security Act to the extent
that such assistance is provided for the support of a child
of the debtor.’’, and
(3) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘ or section 408’’ after
‘‘section 402(a)(26).
(b) AMENDMENT TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.—Section 456(b)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 656(b)) is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘(b) NONDISCHARGEABILITY.—A debt (as defined in section 101
of title 11 of the United States Code) to a State (as defined in
such section) or municipality (as defined in such section) for assist-
ance provided by such State or municipality under a State program
funded under section 403 is not dischargeable under section 727,
1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of title 11 of the United States
Code to the extent that such assistance is provided for the support
of a child of the debtor (as defined in such section).’’.
(c) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply only with respect to cases commenced under
title 11 of the United States Code after the effective date of this
section.
Subtitle H—Medical Support
SEC. 376. CORRECTION TO ERISA DEFINITION OF MEDICAL CHILD
SUPPORT ORDER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 609(a)(2)(B) of the Employee Retire-
ment Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1169(a)(2)(B)) is
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘issued by a court of competent jurisdiction’’;
(2) by striking the period at the end of clause (ii) and
inserting a comma; and