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"Receiving this award signifies that the state is taking the right
steps to improve its child support program so it can better serve
Illinois families," Blagojevich said. "I am proud of the success
we've had, and we will continue to push for aggressive and
innovative reforms that will help single parents gain the resources
they need to provide their children the childhood they deserve."
Each year the National Child Support Enforcement Association
recognizes outstanding achievements in child support enforcement,
and the 2006 award was awarded to the Illinois program for its
increased collections and new programs. A committee comprised of
NCSEA members in the public, private and international sectors makes
the award selections. The award was presented Aug. 2 at the NCSEA's
55th annual Training Conference and Expo in Dallas, Texas, and
accepted by Pam Compton, administrator of Illinois' Child Support
Enforcement Program.
"NCSEA congratulates Illinois on its improved performance," said
Mary Anne Wellbank, president-elect of the NCSEA. "The steady
improvement Illinois has shown really demonstrates its commitment to
children."
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services hosted
a resource fair Aug. 1-4 on the ground level of the James R.
Thompson Center to raise awareness about the state's programs and
initiatives. Barry Maram, director of the department, read a
proclamation at the Thompson Center on Aug. 2 on behalf of the
governor. "This administration has worked tirelessly to revamp the
child enforcement system," Maram said. "Being recognized by the
NCSEA will serve as a reminder of the success we've had and also
serve as motivation to continue to push forward with our reforms."
In the mid-1990s, the performance of the Child Support Division
of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services fell
steeply, causing hardship for thousands of Illinois parents. In
fact, in 2000, Illinois faced the serious threat of federal
penalties for poor child support enforcement.
Over the past three years, Blagojevich launched a number of
innovative and aggressive programs to improve child support
collections, including the Deadbeat Parents website and the New Hire
Directory website. These changes have seen results.
In 2006, the New Hire website on average collected $3.8 million
monthly, compared with just $1.5 million monthly in 2004. In
addition, more than 16,000 employers who previously did not report
new hires are now regularly reporting. Child support collections
that resulted from passport seizures nearly doubled, from $550,000
in 2005 to over $1 million in 2006. In addition, the Division of
Child Support Enforcement successfully seized $10 million in assets
in 2006, compared with $9.6 million in 2005, which is a 4.2 percent
increase.
Illinois has outpaced the national rate of collection improvement
over the past four years. In federal fiscal 2001, Illinois collected
approximately 38 percent of current child support due, while in 2005
it collected 53.3 percent. Nationally, about 57 percent of support
was paid as it was due in 2001, while in 2005 about 60 percent was
collected. So, while the nation has realized a 3 percent gain in
child support collected between federal fiscal 2001 and 2005,
Illinois had a dramatic 15 percent increase during that same time.
[to top of second column] |
 And the state is doing a far better job than the rest of the
nation in slowing down the growth in past-due child support. In
2001, just over $88 billion of child support arrears was owed across
the nation. In 2005, that number had risen to $106.5 billion, an
increase of $18.4 billion, or 21 percent. By comparison, Illinois'
$2.6 billion in arrears rose to $2.8 billion, or 8 percent.
Illinois' arrears growth is significantly less than the nation's,
indicating that the state is doing a better job both in collecting
support money as it is due and in collecting support unpaid in past
years.
Child support is the second-largest income source for low-income
families who qualify for the program. In 2003, more than 846,735
children in Illinois were owed child support payments totaling about
$3 billion, with a collection rate of 28 percent. Today, the
collection rate is 36 percent, with 680,763 children's support being
enforced by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
The continued improvements in child support collections in
Illinois are due to Blagojevich's continued leadership and the
critical programs he implemented since taking office.
The Illinois/Iowa Joint Child Support Enforcement Office
-- In October 2005, Blagojevich announced that Illinois joined
forces with the state of Iowa to increase enforcement of child
support laws through the opening of a jointly staffed child support
enforcement office in Rock Island. This is the second collaborative
interstate child support office in the country. Located close to the
state line, the new facility has two full-time employees, one from
each state, who work together to ensure improved interstate
information sharing, faster collection of court-ordered child
support and more efficient enforcement of child support laws. In the
first six months of the collaboration, more than $230,000 was
collected.
The Deadbeat
Parent website -- In November 2003, Blagojevich launched
the Deadbeat Parent website, which identifies parents who owe more
than $5,000 in child support payments, resulting in the collection
of nearly $190,000 in back payments in the first two years of
operation.
New Hire initiative -- In Illinois, 80 percent of child
support is collected through wage withholdings, a method facilitated
by the Illinois Department of Employment Security's New Hire
Directory. The Blagojevich administration made it easier for
employers to comply with the New Hire Directory by establishing a
website to get information and clarification about the law and
developed easy-to-understand marketing materials that assisted in
the employer education process. The Department of Healthcare and
Family Services also provided on-site training at employer sites and
association meetings.
These initiatives and resulting success earned the Division of
Child Support Enforcement an $8.4 million federal bonus award for
meeting federal child support indicators, the largest incentive ever
received by Illinois under a performance-based system.
[News release from the governor's
office] |
