Child support.

Existing law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program using federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant program, state, and county funds. Under existing law, a recipient of CalWORKs aid is required to assign to the county any rights to support from any other person that the recipient may have, on their behalf, or on behalf of any other family member for whom the recipient is receiving aid, not exceeding the total amount of CalWORKs cash assistance provided to the family. Existing law also requires the first $50 of any amount of child support collected in a month in payment of the required support obligation for that month to be paid to a recipient of CalWORKs aid, and prohibits this amount from being considered income or resources of the recipient family or being deducted from the amount of aid to which the family would otherwise be eligible. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2022, or when the Department of Child Support Services provides the Legislature with a specified notification, whichever date is later, increase that amount to $100 for a family with one child and $200 for a family with 2 or more children. Existing law provides that the Department of Child Support Services and local child support agencies have the responsibility for promptly and effectively collecting and enforcing child support obligations. Existing law requires a local child support agency to submit child support delinquencies to the department for purposes of supplementing the collection efforts of the local child support agencies and defines a child support delinquency for the purposes of these provisions. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2022, and to the extent permitted under federal law, exclude from the definition of "child support delinquency" an arrearage or otherwise past due amount owed to the state that the local child support agency or department has determined to be uncollectible, as specified, and would require the agency or department to deem an arrearage or otherwise past due amount uncollectible under certain circumstances. The bill would authorize the department to implement and administer these provisions through a child support services letter or similar instruction until regulations are adopted by July 1, 2022. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for the purposes of implementing the bill. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 17500 of the Family Code proposed by AB 1092 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1092 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.