State Legislation

The DCSS Legislative Advisory Committee tracks legislation relative to child support. While CSDA is not a lobbying organization, the Association is a member of this committee and provides analysis, research and subject matter experts at the State Department of Child Support Services' request with regard to legislative issues.

Please contact CSDA Executive Director David Oppenheim or CSDA Policy/Communications Analyst Natalie Metzger for more information about child support legislation and related issues.

The following are bills that make substantive changes to child support. For a complete list of child support related bills including those that appear to make non-substantive changes, click on the 2010 child support bill summary.

Child Support Bill Summary:

Bill Number	Title/Summary	Status	Policy/Fiscal Impact
AB 2020 - Fletcher	Family Law - Would amend Section 7573, allowing that a POP Dec. would be valid against a section 7611 presume father only with the presumed father's permission. Section 7612 would be amended as follows: Section 7611 would still be rebutted by a judgment of paternity, unless that judgment was obtained by a plaintiff seeking a child support order against the father or as a result of a voluntary declaration of Paternity. A court would determine paternity by deciding the weightier considerations of the policy and logic per section 7612(b). Section 7630 would be amended to explicitly preclude section 7540 conclusive presumptions from being subject to a motion to contest paternity. Section 7631 would be deleted. Section 7646 would be amended to allow a presumed father to set aside a judgment of paternity based on the existing two year time frames.	May be heard in committee March 20th.
AB 2394 - Brownley	Civil Process and Notices: Ministerial Offices - Bill would generally authorize a levying officer, as defined, to electronically transmit and receive documents and records relating to service of process and notices, including any writ, order, notice, or other paper relating to enforcement of judgments. The bill would require specified information to be included with the electronic transmission, and would require a levying officer to exclude or redact certain identifiers from any document or record made available to the public. Would also amend CCP Section 712.30, deleting the 180-day-expiration period and, instead, authorize a levying officer to enforce a writ in his or her possession.	Read for the first time
AB 2559 - Perez	Social Security Numbers - Would prohibit a state agency from requiring an applicant for any benefit, service or privilege to provide his or her social security number unless the agency is otherwise expressly required by law to require that the applicant provide the social security number as a precondition to participate in the program or receive the benefit, service, or privilege. Would also prohibit the agency from retaining the person's social security number, and require the agency to conform their application forms.	Read for the first time
SB 494 - Maldonado/Denham	DCSS: Electronic Communications - This bill would require DCSS to provide forms or documents to a member of the public in a digitized form (e.g. email, website) except as specified.	Senate Judiciary Committee	This provision would not take effect until the department makes a specified determination.
SB 580 - Wright	Child Support: Health Insurance - This bill specifies that the parent must maintain private, accessible health insurance coverage for the child. It defines "reasonable cost" and "accessibility" standards to conform existing California law with federal regulations.	Assembly Judiciary Committee	Under the guiding principles set by the Medical Support Workgroup, the recommended definitions do not adversely impact current support or arrears performance measures, nor increase the workload at the local level.
SB 1030 - Strickland	Child Support: Reimbursement - Under existing law, a parent is not bound to compensate the other parent, or a relative, for the voluntary support of the parent's child, without an agreement for compensation. This bill would specify that this provision shall not prevent a parent, guardian, or relative caregiver from receiving Title IV-D child support services. This bill would add the following section to section 3951: (d) Nothing in this section shall prevent a parent, guardian, or relative caregiver from receiving child support services pursuant to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq).	Senate Judiciary Committee
SB 1117 - Walters	Judgments: Interest - Would provide that interest on unsatisfied money judgments accrues at the federal short-term rate plus 2%, except as otherwise provided in a written contract, not to exceed 10% per annum. Would require the State Controller to annually establish the interest rate and notify the auditor in each county of that rate.	Senate Judiciary Committee
SB 1292 - Walters	Child Support: Vocational Examination - This bill would amend section 4001 to order a party to submit to an examination by a vocational training counselor, as defined. The bill would provide that the focus of this examination is to obtain an assessment of a spouse's ability to obtain employment that would allow the party to meet his or her duty to provide support of the minor child.	May be acted upon after March 23rd
SB 1355 - Wright	Child Support: Suspension of a Support Order - Section 4007.5 would provide that all orders would contain language suspending child support obligations for periods of incarceration greater than 30 days. Support may be continued if the court finds the parent has the means to pay support during incarceration.	May be acted upon after March 23rd