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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Michael
J. Herzing |
State Rep. Robert E.
Belfanti, Jr. |
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House passes bill to publicize child support scofflaws
HARRISBURG, July 6 – The state House of Representatives Thursday passed legislation that would allow counties to publish the names and photographs of child support defaulters in local newspapers and on county Internet sites. Present law only allows the names of defaulters to appear in newspapers and on county Web sites.
State Rep. Robert E. Belfanti, the bill’s prime sponsor, said the legislation would give custodial parents and county domestic relations offices a new weapon, mainly to help track down parents who refuse to pay child support and who can’t be found or contacted by the custodial parent or by the court.
“Many single parents and their children struggle to make ends meet because the non-custodial parent refuses to meet his or her financial obligations to the child,” Belfanti said. “Some of these scofflaws have become good at hiding in plain site. Often, they take jobs off the books such as bartending or working for contractors for cash.
“This legislation would give counties a very effective way to publicize who these people are and either shame them into meeting their obligations or make it more likely that a family member, co-worker or neighbor will turn them in.”
The legislation (H.B. 1230) would authorize county domestic relations offices to publish the names and photographs, both in newspapers and on the county Web site, of non-custodial parents who are more than 90 days late in paying court-ordered child support and who have made no effort to make arrangements with either the court or the custodial parent to make even a partial payment.
Belfanti amended the bill during consideration in the House to add protections for parents who are making a good-faith effort to meet their support obligations and for innocent Pennsylvanians. The measure would require the permission of the custodial parent before the photo of the parent who owes support could be published. Newspapers would be immune from liability for mistakenly publishing the wrong photo, but would be required to print a correction in a prominent place in the newspaper.
Belfanti said the need for the legislation was apparent to him after receiving a letter from a constituent, Frances Ruzicka, who has been unable to find her ex-husband since 1993. He owes his three children roughly $75,000 in child support.
The Department of Public Welfare has informed Belfanti that while there are more than 400,000 people who are currently delinquent or who have been delinquent in paying child support, presently there are bench warrants out for only 33,995 of these individuals. These are the people who have disappeared and who are in contempt of court. Belfanti said they are the target of the legislation.
“My office has fielded calls from people who are still waiting to see child support months and even years after it was ordered by a court,” Belfanti said. “Many of these people are single parents struggling to make ends meet; they can’t afford to hire private investigators or attorneys to help them find the non-custodial parent who refuses to pay.
“If this legislation helps even a few single parents track down and collect the support their children need and deserve, then it will be a success,” he said.
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