Attorney General Schwalb Testifies in Support of Child Support System Reforms That Increase Funds For DC Kids

Today, Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb will testify in support of the Child Support Improvement Amendment Act of 2026, legislation the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) introduced to reform the District's child support system and increase financial support for DC kids and families.

"With so many DC families struggling to make ends meet, kids should be getting every dollar of child support available," said Attorney General Schwalb. "Child support payments should not be used to fund government operations, and these long-overdue reforms will give DC's most vulnerable families a critical financial boost and help to make communities across the District healthier and safer."

"All children deserve to have the financial support they need at home to thrive, and our child support reform bill will mean many District families in need will receive more money each month to cover costs like housing, food, transportation, and more for DC children," said Councilmember Brooke Pinto (Ward 2). "As we navigate recent changes to federal public benefits, it is critical as local leaders we make common sense and fiscally responsible policy changes that uplift and empower our most vulnerable families."

"This is about helping keep the lights on, putting food on the table, and giving kids stability in their daily lives," said Councilmember Matthew Frumin (Ward 3). "This bill ensures more money reaches families directly, so children can focus on learning, growing, and just being kids."

"The bill the Attorney General introduced refocuses our child support system on ensuring that the District's most vulnerable kids have more resources," said Vikram Swaruup, Executive Director of Legal DC. "If passed, the bill will help make the system fairer for parents on both sides and make children safer and healthier. We thank the DC Council for moving quickly on this bill and look forward to seeing it become law."

Under the current child support collection system for families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), the District keeps a portion of child support payments to reimburse itself and the federal government for the TANF assistance - meaning that children receive only a percentage of child support payments intended for their benefit.

The Child Support Improvement Amendment Act seeks to take advantage of federal law that allows the District more say in how collected child support payments are allocated.

Specifically, the Act:

• Ensures all child support payments for families receiving TANF go directly to these families and children. Until this year, the amount of current child support payments that could go to families who receive TANF was capped at $150 per month. In the FY2026 budget, at the urging of Attorney General Schwalb, the District increased this cap to $200 a month. When fully implemented, the Child Support Improvement and Amendment Act will remove the cap entirely for these families and ensure that every child support dollar collected is sent to them. TANF families are among the poorest in the District - to be eligible for TANF benefits, a family of four must make less than $13,000 per year. An increase in financial support will help improve health, education, and public safety outcomes for these children and families, as well as the District overall.
  
• Requires all overdue child support payments that are collected go directly to families and children. When fully implemented, all overdue child support payments (known as "arrears"), will go directly to families who currently or formerly received TANF, rather than being kept by the government to reimburse the federal government and to help pay for the cost of government operations, as is currently the case.
  
• Focuses child support collection efforts around payments that are due while children are still young. It is critical that parents receive child support payments when that money is most impactful - when the child is still a child or young adult. Currently, every child support payment is a standalone obligation that has a statute of limitations of 12 years, unless renewed. This reform will effectively amend the statute of limitations by allowing enforcement of child support orders until the youngest child is 26.

Councilmembers Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) and Matthew Frumin (Ward 3) have joined Attorney General Schwalb in championing these changes.

Attorney General Schwalb's full testimony is available here.

The full legislation is available ​​​​​here​​​​​.

The hearing can be viewed here.

State Child Support Systems

Illinois is currently the only state that gives all child support collections and arrears to families that currently receive or formerly received TANF. Maryland has passed similar legislation while seven other states pass through some combination of payments and arrears, but not both. With these reforms, DC is not only taking significant steps to support some of its most vulnerable children and families, but it's also leading by example for similar implementation across the country.

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