The Child Support Improvement Amendment Act of 2026 would revise the District of Columbia’s child support rules in two main ways. First, it would expand the amount of child support that must be passed through to families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), eliminating the current exemption that allows the District to retain some of those collections for government cost recovery. Under the bill, the District would pay families receiving TANF the first $200 of monthly current child support collected on their behalf, and it would also pass through the first $200 of certain child support payments that satisfy current support or arrears. In addition, the bill would require the District to pay families that are currently or formerly receiving TANF all child support payments collected under the relevant assignment, including both current support and arrears, subject to the bill’s applicability and funding provisions.
Second, the bill would change the statute of limitations and enforceability period for child support judgments. For support orders entered in cases filed 120 days after the act takes effect, past-due child support would no longer be governed by the general 12-year judgment enforcement period. Instead, those child support judgments would be enforceable for five years after the emancipation of the youngest child subject to the order. The bill also makes conforming changes to the District’s official code to align child support enforcement with this new timing rule.
Impact
The bill would amend the District of Columbia Public Assistance Act of 1982, the Child Support Enforcement Amendment Act of 1985, and D.C. Code section 15-101. Its practical effect would be to redirect more child support money to custodial parents and children, reduce the District’s retention of assigned support payments for TANF-related cost recovery, and create a clearer, shorter enforcement window for certain future child support judgments. The measure also includes delayed applicability for some provisions tied to budget inclusion and fiscal certification, indicating that implementation depends in part on funding and budgetary approval.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of expanding child support pass-throughs and modernizing enforcement rules. The sponsors frame the measure as a family-centered, fiscally responsible reform that would improve child well-being, strengthen parental compliance, and better align District law with available federal options. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is between maximizing support for low-income families and preserving government cost recovery from TANF-related child support collections. Supporters argue that more money should go directly to children and custodial parents, while the existing system diverts too much to the District and federal government. A second point of potential contention is the new five-year enforceability period for child support judgments, which may be viewed by some as providing needed finality and clarity for noncustodial parents but by others as limiting the time available to collect overdue support. The bill’s reliance on appropriations and fiscal-effect certification also suggests possible concern about budget impacts and implementation timing.