Sec. 305. Report to Congress
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The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall— in conjunction with the strategic plan, review and provide recommendations for cost-effective improvements to the child support enforcement program under part D of title IV of the Social Security Act, and ensure that the plan addresses the effectiveness and performance of the program, analyzes program practices, identifies possible new collection tools and approaches, and identifies strategies for holding parents accountable for supporting their children and for building the capacity of parents to pay child support, with specific attention given to matters including front-end services, on-going case management, collections, Tribal-State partnerships, interstate and intergovernmental interactions, program performance, data analytics, and information technology; in carrying out paragraph (1), consult with and include input from— State, tribal, and county child support directors; judges who preside over family courts or other State or local courts with responsibility for conducting or supervising proceedings relating to child support enforcement, child welfare, or social services for children and their families, and organizations that represent the judges; custodial parents and organizations that represent them; noncustodial parents and organizations that represent them; and organizations that represent fiduciary entities that are affected by child support enforcement policies; and in developing the report required by paragraph (4), solicit public comment; not later than June 30, 2015, submit to the Congress a report that sets forth policy options for improvements in child support enforcement, which report shall include the following:
A review of the effectiveness of State child support enforcement programs, and the collection practices employed by State agencies administering programs under such part, and an analysis of the extent to which the practices result in unintended consequences or performance issues associated with the programs and practices. Recommendations for methods to enhance the effectiveness of child support enforcement programs and collection practices. A review of State best practices in regards to establishing and operating State and multistate lien registries.
A compilation of State recovery and distribution policies. Options, with analysis, for methods to engage noncustodial parents in the lives of their children through consideration of parental time and visitation with children. An analysis of the role of alternative dispute resolution in making child support determinations. Identification of best practices for— determining which services and support programs available to custodial and noncustodial parents are non-duplicative, evidence-based, and produce quality outcomes, and connecting custodial and noncustodial parents to those services and support programs; providing employment support, job training, and job placement for custodial and noncustodial parents; and establishing services, supports, and child support payment tracking for noncustodial parents, including options for the prevention of, and intervention on, uncollectible arrearages, such as retroactive obligations.
Options, with analysis, for methods for States to use to collect child support payments from individuals who owe excessive arrearages as determined under section 454(31) of such Act. A review of State practices under 454(31) of such Act used to determine which individuals are excluded from the requirements of section 452(k) of such Act, including the extent to which individuals are able to successfully contest or appeal decisions. Options, with analysis, for actions as are determined to be appropriate for improvement in child support enforcement.