Ken Paxton
An innovative program that ties vehicle registration renewal to child support has generated more than $1 million in back payments from delinquent parents since it was implemented by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.
Last September, following authority received from the Texas Legislature, the attorney general’s Child Support Division (CSD) began enforcement of a program that prevents parents who have not made their court-ordered child support payments in the past six months from renewing their vehicle registrations. These noncustodial parents receive 90 days’ written notice before their registrations expire – providing ample time to call the attorney general’s office and work out a reasonable payment plan.
As of March 31, 2017, 3,852 parents have paid $1.17 million in child support payments on 4,634 cases, which averages $252 per case. The highest single amount collected was $54,000. Under the denial of vehicle registration renewal program, parents do not have to get completely caught up on the total amount of back child support they owe in order for the denial of their registration renewal to be lifted, but they are required to honor the terms of their payment plan with the CSD.
“This program is proving to be an effective tool in convincing delinquent parents to fulfill their most important obligation – providing for their children,” said Attorney General Paxton. “As soon as a payment is arranged, the hold on an auto registration renewal is released. The aim of the program is to obtain compliance with court orders to provide support for children, not to punish parents or deny them their livelihood.”
The attorney general’s CSD is the most successful and cost-effective program in the nation. It handles over 1.5 million child support cases, serving 1.7 million children. The division collects $12.26 for every $1 spent to operate the program and collected more than $4 billion in child support during the state fiscal year 2016. For more information about the attorney general’s office and the child support services it offers, visit the agency’s website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.