Proposed Rule to Help Tribes Support Families

May 22, 2023
| Tanguler Gray, Commissioner|Office of Child Support Enforcement, and Patrice H. Kunesh, Commissioner | Administration for Native Americans
Native American mother and her two sons sitting outside on a sunny day

Tribal child support programs help lift families out of poverty by providing services in a manner that is consistent with tribal values and cultures. In fiscal year 2021, tribal programs collected $53 million (PDF) in child support. This kind of support helps children and families thrive. However, out of the 574 federally recognized tribes, only 60 operate a child support program. A new proposed rule hopes to encourage more tribes to establish their own programs and help current ones maintain theirs.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) recently published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking  eliminating the non-federal share of child support expenditures for the tribal child support program. OCSE has heard that cost sharing is a major barrier preventing tribes and tribal organizations from applying for program funding. During the 2019 ACF Tribal Consultation, one tribe testified they’d considered adding a child support program but decided against it after hearing concerns from other tribes about the hardship of raising their share of the cost. This testimony mirrors what OCSE and the Administration for Native Americans have heard from the tribal community for years.

This rule, if adopted, will promote equity by removing a substantial financial burden for tribal communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, or subject to discrimination or systemic disadvantage. We believe this will make it easier for tribes to establish and operate their own child support programs and allow them to do what they do best—help children and families in their community.

Eliminating the non-federal share requirement will allow OCSE to use its expertise, resources, and efforts to build collaborative relationships with tribes and tribal organizations. We believe these relationships will foster innovation, advance program priorities, and improve outcomes for recipients of tribal child support services.

We encourage the public to submit comments on this proposed regulation by June 20, 2023, via Regulations.gov or in writing to Office of Child Support Enforcement, Attention: Director of Policy and Training, 330 C Street SW, Washington, D.C .20201. Submissions must include the agency name and reference RIN 0970-AC99.

We’re committed to strengthening our government-to-government relationship with tribes and finding innovative ways to support tribal children and families.

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