The U.S. Child Support Enforcement Program

As members of this Subcommittee know very well, the welfare reform law of 1996 must be reauthorized by October 1 of next year. Reauthorization provides this Subcommittee and the rest of Congress with the opportunity to review the effects of the momentous 1996 legislation. Other than the new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in Title I of the legislation, which completely replaced the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, no program received a more thorough overhaul in 1996 than Child Support Enforcement. Thus, it is especially appropriate for the Subcommittee to examine what has been learned about the effects of the sweeping child support amendments.