Tribal and State Jurisdiction to Establish and Enforce Child Support

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

IM-07-03

ATTACHMENT: Tribal and State Jurisdiction to Establish and Enforce Child Support

DATE: March 12, 2007

TO: ALL AGENCIES ADMINISTERING CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT PLANS APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV-D OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT: Tribal and State Jurisdiction to Establish and Enforce Child Support

BACKGROUND: The final rule on Tribal Child Support Enforcement Programs was published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2004 (69 FR 16638) and implements section 455 (f) of the Social Security Act to provide guidance to Tribes and Tribal organizations on how to apply for and, upon approval, receive direct funding for the operation of Tribal IV-D programs.

This Information Memorandum conveys “Tribal and State Jurisdiction to Establish and Enforce Child Support.” This is an update of a publication that was written in 1991 entitled “Tribal and State Reciprocity in the Establishment and Enforcement of Child Support.” When the original document was published, Tribes and Tribal organizations did not have access to direct funding to operate IV-D programs. OCSE formed a Tribal/State Cooperation workgroup after the publication of the final rule, and among other things, discussed appropriate training material for use in Tribal and State IV-D programs. Though the workgroup found the original document useful, it was dated because of the significant changes in child support case processing relating to Tribes.

The audience for this guide is Tribal and State judicial and administrative decision makers, attorneys, IV-D Directors, and caseworkers. We believe that this guide presents useful information that can assist Tribal and State courts and child support professionals in their day-to-day efforts to enforce parents’ responsibilities to provide financial support for their children.

INQUIRIES: Inquires should be directed to the appropriate ACF/OCSE Regional Program Managers.

Sincerely,

Margot Bean
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

cc: ACF/OCSE Regional Program Managers