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State Child Support Oversight Entities

Updated March 2013

States play an important role in collecting child support. All states and territories operate a child support enforcement program, usually in the human services or resources department, department of revenue, or the attorneys general office. These entities frequently work with the help of prosecuting attorneys, other law enforcement agencies, and the juvenile or family and domestic relations courts. Native American tribes can also operate child support programs with federal funding. Some child support payments are still handled through courts or private attorneys. These arrangements are separate from state child support programs, although some state programs process all child support payments in the state.

Child support program structures vary widely from state to state. Some states have centralized programs with local service offices. Other states have county-operated programs in which the counties are nearly independent of each other in their procedures, forms and requirements. 

The table below lists each state, the primary, and sometimes secondary, legislative committees of jurisdiction, and the administrative office, division, bureau and/or department.

State

Legislative Committees

 

Administrative Office, Division, Bureau and/or Department

House

Senate

House

Senate

Alabama 

House Judiciary

Senate Children, Youth Affairs & Human Resources

House Children & Senior Advocacy

Senate Judiciary

Department of Human Resources, Child Support Enforcement Division

Alaska

House Health & Social Services

Senate Health, Education & Social Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary 

Child Support Services Division, Department of Revenue

Arizona

House Reform & Human Services

Senate Public Safety & Human Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Economic Security

Arkansas

House Judiciary

Senate Public Health, Welfare & Labor

House Aging, Children & Youth, Legislative & Military Affairs

Senate Judiciary

Office of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Finance and Administration

California

Assembly Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Assembly Human Services

Senate Human Services

Department of Child Support Services

Colorado

House Public Health Care & Human Services

Senate Health and Human Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Human Services

Connecticut

House Human Services

Senate Human Services

House Select Committee on Children and House Judiciary

Senate Select Committee on Children and Senate Judiciary

Department of Social Services, Bureau of Child Support Enforcement

Delaware

House Health & Human Development

Senate Children, Youth & Families

House Judiciary

Senate Health & Social Services and Senate Judiciary

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Health and Social Services

District of Columbia

Human Services

Judiciary

 

 

Child Support Services Division, Office of the Attorney General

Florida

House Health and Human Services 

Senate Children, Families & Elder Affairs

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Child Support Enforcement, Department of Revenue

Georgia

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Children & Youth and House Health & Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

Child Support Services, Department of Human Resources

Guam

Health and Human Services, Senior Citizens, Economic Development &  Election Reform

 

Public Safety, Law Enforcement & Judiciary

Youth, Cultural Affairs, Procurement, General Government Operations & Public Broadcasting

 

Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Enforcement Division

Hawaii

House Human Services & Housing

Senate Human Services & Public Housing

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary & Labor

Child Support Enforcement Agency, Department of the Attorney General

Idaho

House Judiciary, Rules & Administration

Senate Judiciary & Rules

House Health & Welfare

Senate Health & Welfare

Bureau of Child Support Services, Department of Health and Welfare

Illinois

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary and Senate Civil Law

House Human Services

Senate Human Services

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Public Aid

Indiana

House Judiciary

Senate Civil Law

House Family, Children & Human Affairs

 

Child Support Bureau, Department of Child Services

Iowa

House Human Resources

Senate Human Resources

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Bureau of Collections, Department of Human Services

Kansas

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Children & Seniors and House Health & Human Services

Senate Public Health & Welfare

Child Support Enforcement, Department of Social & Rehabilitation Services

Kentucky

House Health & Welfare

Senate Health & Welfare

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary 

Child Support Enforcement Program, Department for Income Support, Cabinet for Families and Children

Louisiana

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary B, C

House Health & Welfare

Senate Health & Welfare

Office of Family Support, Support Enforcement Services Division

Maine

Joint Judiciary

Joint Health & Human Services

 

 

Department of Human Services, Division of Support Enforcement & Recovery, Office of Integrated Access and Support

Maryland

House Judiciary

Senate Judicial Proceedings

 

 

Child Support Enforcement Administration, Department of Human Resources

Massachusetts

Joint Judiciary

Joint Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities

 

 

Child Support Enforcement Division, Department of Revenue

Michigan

House Families, Children & Seniors

Senate Families, Seniors & Human Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Office of Child Support, Department of Human Services

Minnesota

House Health & Human Services Reform

Senate Judiciary

House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance, House Judiciary Policy and Finance and House Civil Law

Senate Health, Human Services & Housing

Office of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Human Services

Mississippi

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Public Health & Human Services and House Youth & Family Affairs

Senate Public Health & Welfare

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Human Services

Missouri

House Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities

Senate Seniors, Families & Pensions

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary & Civil & Criminal Jurisprudence

Family Support Division, Child Support Enforcement

Montana

House Judiciary

Senate Public Health, Welfare & Safety

 House Human Services

 Senate Judiciary

Child Support, Department of Public Health & Human Services

Nebraska

Unicameral Judiciary

Unicameral Health & Human Services

 

 

Child Support Enforcement, Department of Health and Human Services

Nevada

Assembly Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Assembly Health & Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

Child Support Enforcement Program, Division of Welfare and Supportive Services

New Hampshire

House Children & Family Law

Senate Judiciary

House Judiciary and House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Senate Health & Human Services

Division of Child Support Services, Department of Health and Human Services

New Jersey

Assembly Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Assembly Human Services and Assembly Women & Children

Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens and Senate Law and Public Safety

Office of Child Support, Department of Human Services

New Mexico

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Labor & Human Resources

 

Child Support Enforcement Division, Department of Human Services

New York

Assembly Judiciary

Senate Social Services

Assembly Social Services, Assembly Codes, Aseembly Women's Issues and Assembly Children and Families

Senate Judiciary and Senate Codes

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Office of Temporary and Disability Services

North Carolina

House Health & Human Services

Senate Judiciary

House Judiciary

Senate Mental Health & Youth Services

Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement

North Dakota

House Human Services

Senate Human Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Child Support Enforcement Program, Department of Human Services

Ohio

House Judiciary

Senate Medicaid, Health & Human Services

 

Senate Civil Justice

Office of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Human Services and Job and Family Services

Oklahoma

House Judiciary & Public Safety

Senate Judiciary

 House Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

Child Support Services, Department of Human Services

Oregon

House Human Services & Housing

Senate Health Care, Human Services

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

Division of Child Support, Department of Justice

Pennsylvania

House Judiciary

Senate Law and Justice

House Children & Youth and House Human Services

 Senate Aging & Youth and Senate Public Health & Welfare

Bureau of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Public Welfare

Puerto Rico

House Social Welfare

Senate Health & Social Welfare

House Judiciary & Ethics and House Youth Affairs & Public Security

Senate Pubic Safety and Judicial Affairs

Administration for Child Support Enforcement

Rhode Island

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Health, Education & Welfare

Senate Health & Human Services

Office of Child Support Services, Department of Human Services

South Carolina

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

 

 

Child Support Enforcement Division, Department of Social Services

South Dakota

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

 House Health & Human Services

Senate State Affairs and Senate Health & Human Services

Division of Child Support, Department of Social Services

Tennessee

House Consumer & Human Resources

Senate General Welfare, Health & HUman Resources

House Children & Family Affairs, House State & Local Government and House Civil Justice

Senate Judiciary and Senate State & Local Government

Child Support Division, Department of Human Services

Texas

House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence 

Senate Jurisprudence

House Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

Child Support Division, Office of the Attorney General

Utah

House Health & Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

House Judiciary and House Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice

Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice

Child Support Services, Department of Human Services, Office of Recovery Services

Vermont

House Judiciary

Senate Judiciary

House Human Services

Senate Health & Welfare

Office of Child Support, Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families

Virginia

House Health, Welfare & Institutions

Senate Rehabilitation & Social Services

House Courts of Justice

Senate Courts of Justice and Senate Education and Health

Division of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Social Services

Virgin Islands

 

 

 

 

Department of Justice, Paternity and Child Support Division

Washington

House Juvenile Justice and Family Law

Senate Human Services & Corrections

House Early Learning & Human Services, House Judiciary and House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Senate Judiciary

Division of Child Support Department of Social & Health Services

West Virginia

Joint Judiciary

 

House Health & Human Services

Senate Health & Human Services

Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Child Support Enforcement

Wisconsin

Assembly Children & Family Law

Senate Health & Human Services

Assembly Judiciary & Ethics and Assembly Family Law

Senate Judiciary & Labor

Bureau of Child Support, Division of Economic Support

Wyoming

Joint Labor, Health & Social Services

Joint Judiciary

 

 

Department of Family Services, Child Support Enforcement

*PLEASE NOTE: The National Conference of State Legislatures is an organization serving state legislators and their staff. We cannot offer legal advice or assistance with individual cases, but we do try to answer questions on general topics.

About This NCSL Project

NCSL staff in D.C. and Denver can provide comprehensive, thorough, and timely information on critical child support policy issues. We provide services to legislators and staff working to improve state policies affecting children and their families. The Denver-based child support project staff focuses on state policy, tracking legislation and providing research and policy analysis, consultation, and technical assistance specifically geared to the legislative audience. Denver staff can be reached at (303) 364-7700 or cyf-info@ncsl.org.

NCSL staff in Washington, D.C. track and analyze federal legislation and policy and represent state legislatures on child support issues before Congress and the Administration. In D.C., Sheri Steisel and Emily Wengrovius can be reached at (202) 624-5400 or fedhumserv-info@ncsl.org.

The child support project and D.C. human services staff receive guidance and support from NCSL's Human Services and Welfare Standing Committee.

 

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