WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Kevin Hern’s (OK-01) bipartisan Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act (HR 7906) passed the Ways and Means Committee with a unanimous vote.

Rep. Hern introduced this bill with original co-sponsors Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), and Darin LaHood (R-IL-16). 

HR 7906 prevents changes in an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement action that would block state child support agencies from utilizing contractors for the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Were they to take effect, these changes would greatly disrupt states’ ability to administer child support payments through the CSE program, which serves nearly 13 million families and 18 percent of all children in the U.S. The bill would also provide parity for Tribes operating child support enforcement programs. 

Watch Rep. Hern’s remarks in Committee HERE.

Remarks as prepared: 

Chairman Smith, thank you for holding this markup today, and including two of my bills - H.R.8921 and H.R. 7906. 

I also want  to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Reps. DelBene and Moore for leading H.R. 7906, the Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act, with me.

I would like to submit for the record two letters of support for H.R. 7906, one from the National Tribal Child Support Association, and another from the National Association of Tribal Child Support Directors. 

Child support enforcement is not a partisan issue, it’s the right thing for Congress to do, and this fix was also seen in President Biden’s 2025 budget. 

This is an issue that’s personal for me. 

I’ve spoken on this committee many times before about my childhood, stuck in poverty thanks to a step-dad who was unwilling to work or provide for the family.

My mom did what she could, but my siblings and I still went hungry a lot of the time… we never knew if the lights would be on when we got home from school…we didn’t have running water in the house for much of my childhood. 

As I grew older, I took it upon myself to work to support my mother and my siblings. I had to grow up a lot younger than my peers.

These are things no child should have to experience, and it was one of the driving forces behind my decision to run for office. 

 Every kid deserves a childhood without the weight of poverty dragging them down. 

I can’t emphasize enough how important child support enforcement is for families. All kids deserve the resources to grow up in a healthy, stable home, and this piece of legislation will make that goal easier for millions of families to reach.  

This bill will finally allow tribes who run their own child support enforcement programs to access the Treasury Offset Program. 

Under the Treasury Offset Program, when a non-custodial parent is due a refund but owes past-due child support, Treasury can withhold the tax refund and send it to the state child support agency to get it to the family, so these children are properly supported. 

Currently, no tribes are allowed access to this program, putting tribal families at a huge disadvantage when it comes to collecting past-due child support. This bill will fix that.

There are 38 federally recognized tribes in my home state of Oklahoma, 10 of which run their own child support enforcement agencies.

I’ve heard from tribes about the unnecessary burden they have to deal with when it comes to collecting past-due child support, which can result in tribal families receiving past-due child support even later, or missing out on those payments altogether. 

I’m proud of the work this committee has done to enhance the resources tribes have to take care of their families. 

Not only will this bill help tribes efficiently run their child support enforcement programs, states will be allowed to continue the use of third-party contractors to help run their child support enforcement programs. 

Without this fix, we risk states having to bring all child support enforcement services in-house, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, along with the immediate pause of child support payments to millions of families - an absolutely devastating outcome. 

We cannot let this happen to our families. I urge all my colleagues to support this piece of legislation along with the larger child welfare package we are considering today - to help the children that are growing up to be this country's next generation. I yield my time.

Key Background

The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program is a successful and vital support system for millions of families across the country.

• The CSE program is one of the most cost-effective federal programs dedicated to establishing parentage and obtaining child support for custodial parents.
• In 2022, the program collected more than $27 billion in payments from non-custodial parents. For every $1 spent nearly $5 was collected for families.
• CSE serves 12.7 million families and 18 percent of all children in the U.S. Among all families eligible for child support, 24 percent have income below the federal poverty line.

Tribes need equitable access to the same enforcement tools as states.

• Sixty federally-recognized Tribes administer their own CSE programs. Tribes have never had direct access to the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program to collect past-due support. Instead, Tribes have resorted to “contracting” with states to access the program.
• As a result, the same IRS policy that will prohibit use of state contractors will simultaneously cut off Tribal access.
• A permanent solution would also provide parity for Tribes to directly access the tools necessary for effective child support enforcement.

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