House passes plan to help collect child support from overseas

The state’s efforts to enforce international collections of child support could hinge on it complying with changes that the federal government could be enacting as it attempts to streamline and bring clarity to the procedures.

Passed by the House 129-0 Wednesday, HF892 would support federal efforts to establish uniform procedures among the states to assist in the enforcement in these types of collections.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing). It now moves to the Senate where Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato) is the sponsor.

Harriet Lansing, a former Minnesota Court of Appeals judge who serves as chair of the Uniform Law Commission’s Executive Committee, told the House Civil Law Committee (date) that Congress is currently working on updates to the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. This is a treaty entered into by various countries to enforce judicial decisions.

There are currently 150,000 international child support cases, she said, adding that once federal legislation is passed Minnesota will have a short grace period in which to comply with the new legislation. She said that acting now, will ensure the state’s processes are implemented. “Minnesota collection of child support is going to hinge on this.”

So far, 10 states have enacted the updates.