WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Work & Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16) delivered the following remarks at a Ways and Means Work & Welfare Subcommittee hearing on strengthening and modernizing the Child Support Enforcement program.

As prepared for delivery.

“Good afternoon and welcome. Thank you all for joining us.

“Today’s hearing is titled, ‘Strengthening the Child Support Program: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities for Modernization.’ 

“A special thank you and welcome to all of our witnesses.

“My name is Darin LaHood, and I represent Illinois’ 16th District, covering much of the central and northwestern parts of the state. 

“This is only the second hearing we have held on the Child Support Enforcement program since 2012. 

“The Child Support program plays a critical role in promoting the financial well-being of children and families. It encourages sustained parental engagement and reinforces the principle that parental responsibility does not end when parents live apart. 

“Regular child support payments promote self-sufficiency by helping families avoid reliance on public assistance benefits and can represent a meaningful share of a family’s monthly income.

“In 2024, states collected more than $25 billion in child support payments and served more than 11 million families, or 18% of all children in the U.S. Among families served, 24% had incomes below the poverty line. 

“The Child Support program is also one of the most cost-effective in the federal government, returning more than $4 for every $1 dollar spent administering it. 

“The last time Congress enacted comprehensive reforms to this program was nearly three decades ago, as part of welfare reform in 1996.

“That law significantly reshaped the Child Support program by expanding federal requirements and establishing national standards for how child support cases are managed. Those reforms strengthened collections and improved accountability. 

“But there is a need to modernize the program to account for the changing labor market and availability of new enforcement tools. 

“The modern labor market is more mobile, more fragmented, and less predictable. Millions of workers now rely on contract labor and short-term ‘gig’ work engagements that do not run through conventional payroll systems. Remote work allows people to change jobs and cross state lines without changing addresses or employers. 

“These shifts complicate routine enforcement methods that were designed for a workforce anchored to long-term, traditional employment. 

“Family structures have also grown more complex. Fewer cases today involve families receiving cash welfare, while more involve parents navigating multiple households and interstate custody arrangements. These realities place new demands on state agencies. 

“At the same time, state agencies continue to rely on aging technology and case-management platforms that were never built for today’s caseloads. 

This hearing is an opportunity to take look at how a vital program is functioning in a very different economic and technological environment than the one it was built for. 

“Our goal is to better understand how child support enforcement can continue to promote family stability, encourage responsible parenthood, and operate effectively in a landscape that Congress could not have fully anticipated in 1996.

“In the past this program has garnered bipartisan support, and I am hopeful that we can work across the aisle on bipartisan solutions to develop new ways to improve the federal Child Support Enforcement program.

“Thank you again to our witnesses for being here today and I look forward to your testimony.”