80R21261 CBE-D

By: Dutton H.R. No. 2522

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Texas Attorney General's Office--Child Support Division has been named the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Program Award from the National Child Support Enforcement Association; and

WHEREAS, A nonprofit membership organization that represents the child support community, NCSEA works to promote the well-being of children through advocacy, public awareness, and professional development opportunities; each year, it recognizes a state, regional, tribal, or county program that consistently and comprehensively exemplifies the best in child support enforcement through an outstanding record of performance and the provision of effective services to its constituency and community; and

WHEREAS, For fiscal year 2006, Texas collected more than $2 billion in child support, representing a 62 percent success rate on current claims and a 67 percent success rate on past-due ones; collecting $7.52 for every dollar spent, this cost-effective program also successfully established paternity in 92 percent of its cases; and

WHEREAS, The Texas child support program was also commended for the number of initiatives it has developed to maintain quality and consistency; these include the Employer One-Stop, a website that provides a single location for employers to obtain information and perform child support-related functions, the child support review process, which allows parents to negotiate child support orders without going to court, and early intervention and monitoring, an automated process for tracking payments on new cases; and

WHEREAS, In addition, the Child Support Division surveys constituents to determine its effectiveness in providing services, and local offices are actively engaged with their communities; and

WHEREAS, Offering invaluable services for single parents and their children, the Texas Attorney General's Office--Child Support Division makes a significant difference in the lives of Texas families, and this award justly acknowledges the program's impressive achievements; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the Texas Attorney General's Office--Child Support Division on its receipt of the 2007 Outstanding Program Award from the National Child Support Enforcement Association and extend to all those associated with the program sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the division as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.