H.R. 4282 (112th): International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2012

Introduced:
Mar 28, 2012 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
Sponsor:
Rep. Rick Berg [R-ND0]
Status:
Died (Passed House)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on June 5, 2012 but was never passed by the Senate.

Progress
Introduced Mar 28, 2012
Referred to Committee Mar 28, 2012
Passed House Jun 05, 2012
Cosponsors
19 cosponsors (10R, 9D) (show)
Committees

House Budget

House Judiciary

House Ways and Means

Senate Finance

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To amend part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to ensure that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

Read Bill Text »

Last updated Jun 06, 2012.
16 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

We don’t have a summary available yet.

Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

6/5/2012--Passed House amended.
International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the authorities otherwise provided by law to ensure U.S. compliance with any multilateral child support convention to which the United States is a party.
Authorizes access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by an entity designated as a Central Authority for child support enforcement in a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country (for which the 2007 Family Maintenance Convention is in force) so that foreign reciprocating countries will be notified of the state of residence of individuals sought for support enforcement.
Gives the state the option to require individuals applying for services relating to establishment of paternity or child support obligations who reside in a foreign reciprocating country or foreign treaty country to apply for such services with respect to a child through the Central Authority for child support enforcement in the foreign country.
Allows the state to accept or reject the application of any individual residing in a foreign country that is not a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country.
Directs the Secretary of HHS to designate:
(1) a nonproprietary and interoperable data exchange standard for any category of information required to be reported under SSA title IV part D, and
(2) data exchange standards to govern reporting of such data.
Increases from 24 to 48 months the length of time information entered into the data base maintained by the National Directory of New Hires shall remain before being deleted.
Revises the authority of the Secretary of HHS to provide access to data in each component of the FPLS and to information reported by employers for certain research purposes.
Limits such research to any undertaken by a state or federal agency for purposes likely to contribute to achieving the purposes of SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) or in SSA title IV part D. Authorizes the Secretary to provide access also for an evaluation or statistical analysis to assess the effectiveness of a federal program in achieving positive labor market outcomes (including through grant or contract) by specified federal departments and entities.
Reverses the current prohibition against personal identifiers in such research to allow them if certain requirements are met.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/2/hr4282.

Summary

H.R. 4282 would amend the Social Security Act to ensure that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of the Hague Convention of November 23, 2007, on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. Specifically, the bill would require that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) use its authority to ensure that the U.S. complies with any multilateral child support convention to which it is a party. The bill would do so by allowing the Federal Parent Locator Service to be used for child support enforcement in a foreign reciprocating country or a foreign treaty country. The bill would give states the option to require individuals in foreign countries to apply for child support enforcement services through their country’s appropriate central authority. The bill would further require each state to have in effect the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. Under the legislation, these changes would be implemented no later than October 1, 2013, or the effective date of laws enacted by the state legislature implementing the changes.

In addition, the bill would require the Secretary of HHS to designate a data exchange standard for any category of for child support enforcement information required to be reported. The standards would be required to incorporate a widely-accepted, non-proprietary, searchable, computer-readable format and be consistent with applicable accounting principles. The bill would require that the standards be continually updated as necessary. The bill would direct HHS to issue a proposed rule within 12 months of enactment, and issue a final rule, after public comment, within 24 months of enactment.

The bill would also allow HHS to provide state and federal agencies with access to data in the New Hires Database of the Federal Parent Locator Service, and to information reported by employers, for research, evaluations or statistical analysis undertaken to assess the effectiveness of child support enforcement programs. Data or information provided would include a personal identifier only if the relevant agency enters into an agreement with the Treasury Department regarding the security and use of the data or information. Any individual who willfully discloses a personal identifier would be guilty of a class E felony under H.R. 4282.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)