Atty. Gen. Greg AbbottAtty. Gen. Greg Abbott held a news conference today to express his concern about efforts by the U.S. House of Representatives to cut money for child support enforcement. A bill currently in conference committee would reduce the match Texas receives on child support from 66 percent federal to 50 percent. It also prohibits use of federal incentive payments for excellent child support collection as a match to obtain additional federal funds. Abbott told reporters that he estimates as many as half the 2,700 child support enforcement employees in his office could be at risk. The U.S. Senate's bill does not have the cuts in it, and Abbott has sent a letter to the entire Texas congressional delegation expressing his concerns.

The Child Support Enforcement Division used to be the legislature's running headache. Under Atty. Gen. Dan Morales, the legislature seriously entertained the thought of moving it to another agency. Legislative offices were deluged with constituent casework on the subject.

Former Atty. Gen. and current U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made improving child support enforcement one of his top priorities. In his four years in office, the legislature's confidence in the attorney general's ability to enforce child support enforcement laws was restored and the division has continued to collect record amounts of child support.

In his letter to congress, Abbott estimates that the cuts could result in a $1.85 billion increase in welfare costs over the next four years, with $698 million of that in Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), $409 million in food stamps, and $749 million in Medicaid costs.

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