TX AG: Reject Federal CS Funding Cuts

Make sure to read where it talks about the poor NCP's who are doing
their best to make ends meet AND support their children with no help
from the Texas government. Ooops! Sorry! You won't! Just give the
public a vision of starving & unclothed children in order to keep the
mill operating!

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=1272

Monday, November 28, 2005
Attorney General Abbott Calls On Texas Congressional Delegation To
Reject Child Support Funding Cuts

Texas families will lose nearly $3 billion in child support

AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today voiced his strong
opposition to proposed federal legislation that dramatically slashes
funding for child support enforcement. In a letter to members of the
Texas congressional delegation, Attorney General Abbott expressed his
alarm that the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives contains provisions that will result in a loss of
hundreds of millions of dollars to run the Texas child support program.
Reduced funding will lead to a nearly $3 billion drop in child support
collections and will hurt a million Texas children who receive child
support.

"Many Texas children and families who depend on child support to
furnish the basic necessities of life will suffer if these drastic
measures make it into law," Attorney General Abbott said. "Texas
children don't need a lump of coal from Congress this Christmas. This
bill will seriously undermine the Texas child support program and
Washington lawmakers need to fully understand the harm this
legislation, if passed, will cause Texas children and families."

The House-passed budget reconciliation bill, otherwise known as H.R.
4241, reduces federal financial participation in child support programs
from 66 percent to 50 percent by 2010, and precludes the use of
performance incentive payments as a match to obtain additional federal
funds. On the other hand, the Senate's budget reconciliation bill
does not make financial changes to child support programs. A conference
committee consisting of House and Senate members will reconcile
differences between the two versions of the bill.

The proposed cuts for child support mean that Texas will lose more than
$400 million for enforcement between 2007 and 2010. At a minimum, the
cut in federal funds will require the Attorney General's office to
reduce child support enforcement staff over a four-year period by more
than half, which will lead to the nearly $3 billion drop in child
support collections during that time.

Attorney General Abbott added: "Most Texans agree that it is
important for the federal government to trim its budget deficit, but
Texas children should not be the target of budget cuts. The proposed
cuts would take food off the tables of children and clothes off their
backs."

Abbott pointed out that the child support cuts will not achieve the
House's goal of saving taxpayer dollars. In the state fiscal year
that ended Aug. 31, the Office of the Attorney General collected more
than $1.8 billion in child support that benefited Texas children.
Proposed funding cuts to child support enforcement programs will
increase government spending because the loss of child support will
force many needy families to seek public assistance.

The Attorney General's Division for Families and Children is directed
by state and federal law to assist families who currently receive or
have received public assistance and families who request child support
services. Approved services include locating absent parents;
establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents;
establishing, enforcing, and modifying child and medical support
orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments.

They should cut all of their damn funding!! I grew up in Texas,
although Iam now in exile
elsewhere. Texas used to be a great place
to live but now is a socialist fiasco!!

Surely you're not implying there is an American state that is not a
socialist fiasco, are you?
Phil #3

"Patrick Lee" wrote in message
...

They should cut all of their damn funding!! I grew up in Texas,
although Iam now in exile
elsewhere. Texas used to be a great place
to live but now is a socialist fiasco!!

The Feds aren't cutting Child Support, they're cutting funds to inefficient
state govt. organizations that administer child support.

They're whining because they won't get buckets of money to perpetuate
inefficient state government bureaucracies and "guessing" that the funding
cuts to them will have a direct effect on child support payments, which
are completely independent issues.

b.

Which means that they will now actually have to make deals with the NCPs who are trying to do the right thing rather then just say no.

No more federal gravy train--I wont lose sleep over it.


Sabotage 6
wrote in message oups.com...

The Feds aren't cutting Child Support, they're cutting funds to inefficient
state govt. organizations that administer child support.

They're whining because they won't get buckets of money to perpetuate
inefficient state government bureaucracies and "guessing" that the funding
cuts to them will have a direct effect on child support payments, which
are completely independent issues.

b.