dcl9326.htm

New Publication on Paternity Establishment

DC-9326

June 1, 1993

RE: New Publication on Paternity Establishment

Dear Colleague:

I am please to present to you a copy of a new publication on paternity establishment, entitled State Advancements in Paternity Establishment: Legislative, Gubernatorial, and Program Initiatives, that was prepared by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) for the purpose of promoting a "cross-fertilization" of innovative measures taken by States in order to increase the number of paternities established for children born out of wedlock.

OCSE regards paternity establishment as a major program priority. Recently, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) announced that the number of out-of-wedlock births has soared to an all time record high. As of 1990, NCHS reports that 28 percent (1.2 million) of all live births (4.1 million) were to unwed mothers.

Given the magnitude of out-of wedlock births, this report takes on added importance. State Advancements in Paternity Establishment: Legislative, Gubernatorial, and Program Initiatives is intended to equip State and local child support program managers with "state-of-the art" information on new existing approaches to paternity establishment.

In order to encourage a direct exchange of information, we have included the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the contact persons associated with each legislative, gubernatorial, and/or program initiative. Copies of actual State legislation and/or law have been included in the Appendix for those States interested in duplicating similar efforts. For those interested in a national perspective, a statistical profile of the social trends and economic consequences of out-of-wedlock births has been included as well.

And, as in any direct human service program, there is always the reality of staff turnover. As a result, we have included a section which summarized the Federal requirements on paternity establishment and effective implementation dates in order to keep staff up-to-date on current law and program regulations.

It should be noted that the Clinton Administration has recently proposed paternity establishment legislation as part of the 1993 Budget Reconciliation Bill. Therefore, the State legislative materials within Part III are only illustrative of what States have done in the area of early paternity establishment and maynot be consistent with proposed Federal paternity legislation. We recommend that States keep track of the pending Federal legislation when making changes in their paternity legislation and/or procedures.

I sincerely hope that this report will be of assistance to you in your efforts to address the financial support needs of children who are brought into the world without the full advantages of an intact family which includes both the mother and the father.

Sincerely,

Robert C. Harris

Acting Deputy Director

Office of Child Support

Enforcement

Enclosure