wish list

(1) Keep families together in CPS, Family Court, & Probate Court.

(2) Cancellation of all government-owed child support debt

(3) Family services provisions for families with current and recent CPS-involvement, including but not limited to family stabilization, family reunification and advocacy, resourcing, transportation, transparency, domestic violence/sexual assault support, and housing stability. 

(4) Family services provisions for low-income and working class family court litigants, including but not limited to: no-fee supervised visitation, no-fee psychological evaluations, and domestic violence/sexual assault support.

(5) Full pass-through of child support dollars to custodial parents receiving public benefits in the 2024-2025 State Budget, as generously promised by the California Legislature and State Budget.

California is on the cusp of transformational changes to the child support program that will create significant and compassionate family-centered improvements to the child support program. 

1. 2022-2023 California State Budget Trailer Bill: We are grateful to Governor Newsom, Senator Skinner, Assemblymember Ting, Senator Toni Atkins, and the California Legislature for their tremendous leadership in profoundly restructuring the State child support program so that low-income parents receive the justice, recognition, and full child support dollars that they deserve.
2. Senate Bill 1055 seeks to address extreme punitive measures taken against those that have fallen into child support arrears. Specifically, this bill targets driver’s license suspension mandates related to missed child support payments. SB 1055 is track to pass and will hit Governor Newsom’s desk in October! Thank Senator Kamlager for championing parents’ rights! (This bill is currently sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting signature).
3. Senate Bill 1085 seeks to protect and keep families together by redefining the definition of neglect. When determining child “neglect” in Juvenile Dependency Court (Court) hearings, the overly broad definition can put families at risk. This bill will provide critical protection for California’s families vulnerable to separation based on factors such as poverty, homelessness, and a lack of access to basic resources. Thank you again Senator Kamlager! (This bill is currently sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting signature).
4. Assemblymember Bryan’s AB 1686 will significantly limit the Department of Social Services (DSS) from referring families in the foster care program to DCSS for recoupment of child support payable to the State. The bill recognizes that paying child support to the State is likely to hinder reunification of families, unnecessarily extend the child’s time in foster care, and create additional stress on a parent during an already challenging time period.Families in the child support and child welfare systems in California are disproportionately families of color. Families of color are nearly two-thirds of families in the child support program. Almost three-quarters of children placed in foster care were Black or Latinx in 2020. Systemic punitive policies, including license suspensions and state recoupment of foster care costs, play a role in unjust racial and economic inequality. (This bill is currently sitting on the Governor's desk awaiting signature).