Texas prepares to deny vehicle registrations to child support scofflaws
Falling significantly behind on child support payments is about to hit a few thousand Texans squarely on the windshield - and potentially lead to some frustrated folks in local tax offices.
Effective in December, anyone who has missed child support payments for six consecutive months will have to resume payments before renewing their vehicle registration. The goal is to encourage more compliance with child support obligations, said Janece Rolfe, spokeswoman for the Texas Attorney General's Office's child support division.
"We see this as an incentive to get money to their children," Rolfe said, noting existing rules that revoke drivers' licenses and professional licenses when child support payments lag. "Certainly it is not our desire to take away anyone's driving privileges."
Despite supporting efforts to collect child support debts, there are skeptics to the new plan to tie court-ordered payments to vehicle renewals, notably local tax assessor-collectors who worry they will receive the brunt of the blame for denied registrations.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/transportation/article/Texas-prepares-to-deny-vehicle-registrations-to-9178043.php