Senator Cornyn

Cornyn, Menendez Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Bolster Child Support System

March 1, 2021

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) released the following statements after reintroducing their bipartisan Providing Adequate Resources to Enhance Needed Time with Sons and Daughters (PARENTS) Act, which will ensure children of separated or divorced parents have a set schedule that will allow them to spend frequent quality time with both of their parents: 

“The Child Support Enforcement Program helps provide necessary resources to those raising children, but we need to remove bureaucratic barriers making it difficult for willing parents to spend more time with their kids,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation will help children receive the financial support they need while rewarding parents who spend quality time with their child, and it is critical that we recognize the urgent need for this legislation during the pandemic.”

“A solid foundation for children of divorced parents is critical to ensure they are able to succeed and thrive,”
 said Sen. Menendez. “A set visitation schedule will provide children with the stability they need to guarantee an easier transition during an already difficult time. The PARENTS Act will allow states to automatically create a parenting time agreement by cutting the bureaucratic red tape. Congress understood the importance of this bill when we passed it at the end of last year and I’m looking forward to taking it over the finish line this year.”

Background:

The PARENTS Act passed the Senate last Congress with the support of Sens. Cornyn and Menendez as well as Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).

Research shows that children benefit from spending time with both parents after a divorce or separation, but according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly seven of ten parents involved with the public child support program do not have an official parenting time agreement.

Currently, states wishing to use child support incentive funds to create a parenting time agreement must apply for a waiver from HHS. Since HHS has yet to deny any of these waiver requests, it has become an unnecessary and cost-consuming burden for states. The PARENTS Act would eliminate the need for a waiver, freeing up resources and yielding administrative savings for states.

The bill is supported by the National Child Support Enforcement Association and the National Association of Counties.