An Act to further family-centered child support

This bill amends Massachusetts laws to make child support enforcement more family-centered by clarifying when parents can refuse cooperation without penalty. It establishes specific exceptions where a parent has "good cause" to not participate, such as cases involving incest or rape, pending adoptions, or situations where cooperation could harm the child or discourage the other parent from staying involved. Additionally, the bill ensures that the first $500 of monthly child support collected for a family is excluded from income calculations for public assistance purposes, and it allows individuals to request paternity services even if they are not legally required to cooperate with the agency. These changes directly affect parents receiving public assistance and the state agencies responsible for administering child support orders.