Bill Text: HI HB946 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Child Support.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-15 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Aquino, DeCoite, Nakamura, Quinlan, Thielen excused (5). [HB946 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2019-HB946-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
946 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO CHILD SUPPORT.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION
1. Section 571-52.2, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (g) to read as follows:
"(g) It shall be unlawful for any employer to fail
to comply with the requirements of this section. In addition, an employer who fails to comply
with an order of assignment of future income, as provided for under this
section, shall be liable to the obligee or the obligee's assignee for whom
support was required to be paid, for the full amount of all sums ordered to be
withheld and transmitted and not otherwise done so[.], and may be subject
to a fine not to exceed $250 as determined by the court."
SECTION
2. Section 576D-5, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
"(b) In the case of an individual who has never
received public assistance for the support of a child under Title IV-A and for
whom the State has collected not less than [$500] $550 of
support, the agency shall impose an annual fee of [$25] $35 for
each case in which Title IV-D services were furnished, which shall be retained
in accordance with Title IV-D requirements; provided that the [$25] $35
shall not be retained from the first [$500] $550 so
collected. Any fee collected shall be
maintained by the agency and used as required under Title IV-D."
SECTION
3. Section 576E-16, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended as follows:
1. By amending subsection (c) to read as
follows:
"(c) Compliance by an employer with the income
withholding order issued pursuant to subsection (a) or with the income
withholding order or the notice to withhold child support issued pursuant to
section 576D-14 shall operate as a discharge of the employer's liability to the
responsible parent for that portion of the responsible parent's earnings
withheld and transmitted to the agency, regardless of whether [or not]
the employer has withheld the correct amount.
For each payment made pursuant to an income withholding order or a
notice to withhold child support, the employer may deduct and retain as an
administrative fee an additional amount of $2 from the income owed to the
responsible parent. The total amount
withheld from the obligor's income, including the administrative fee, may not
be in excess of the maximum amounts permitted under section 303(b) of the
Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. §1673(b)). Any income withholding order or notice to
withhold child support shall have priority as against any garnishment,
attachment, execution, or other income withholding order, or any other order,
and shall not be subject to the exemptions or restrictions contained in part
III of chapter 651 and in chapters 652 and 653.
An employer who fails to comply with an income withholding order under
this section or with an income withholding order or notice to withhold child
support issued pursuant to section 576D-14 shall be liable to the obligee or
the agency for the full amount of all sums ordered to be withheld and
transmitted. In addition, an employer
violating this subsection may be subject to a fine not to exceed $250 as
determined by the court. An employer
receiving an income withholding order or a notice to withhold child support
shall transmit amounts withheld to the agency within five working days after
the responsible parent is paid. The
employer shall begin withholding no later than the first pay period commencing
within seven business days following the date a copy of the order or the notice
to withhold child support is mailed to the employer.
As
used in this subsection, the term "business day" means a day on which
the employer's office is open for regular business. The employer shall withhold
funds as directed in the order or the notice to withhold child support, except
that when an employer receives an income withholding order issued by another
state, the employer shall apply the income withholding law of the state of the
obligor's principal place of employment in determining:
(1) The employer's fee for processing an income
withholding order;
(2) The maximum amount permitted to be withheld
from the obligor's income under section 303(b) of the Consumer Credit
Protection Act (15 U.S.C. §1673(b));
(3) The time periods within which the employer
must implement the income withholding order and forward the child support
payment;
(4) The priorities for withholding and allocating
income withheld for multiple child support obligees; and
(5) Any withholding terms or conditions not
specified in the order.
An
employer who complies with an income withholding order or a notice to withhold
child support that is regular on its face shall not be subject to civil liability
to any person or agency for conduct in compliance with the order.
An
employer who is required to withhold amounts from the income of more than one
employee may remit to the agency a sum total of all such amounts in one check
with a listing of the amounts applicable to each employee.
Within
two working days after receipt of the amounts withheld by the employer, the
agency shall disburse the amounts to the obligee for the benefit of the child,
except that the agency may delay the distribution of collections toward
arrearages until resolution of any timely requested hearing with respect to
such arrearages."
2. By amending subsection (e) to read as
follows:
"(e) It shall be unlawful for any employer to
refuse to hire a prospective employee, to discharge an employee, or to take any
other disciplinary action against an employee, based in whole or in part upon
an order or notice to withhold child support authorized by this section. Any employer [violating this section shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished under section 710-1077(1)(g).]
who fails to comply with this subsection may be subject to a fine not to
exceed $250 as determined by the court."
SECTION 4. This Act does
not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and
proceedings that were begun before its effective date.
SECTION 5. Statutory
material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall
take effect on January 1, 2059.
Report Title:
Child Support; Income Withholding; Employer; Fines; Child Support Enforcement Agency Fee; Annual Fee
Description:
Amends the income withholding requirements to impose a fine against any employer who discriminates against any noncustodial parent subject to income withholding. Imposes a fine against an employer who fails to withhold support from income or pay the amounts to the Child Support Enforcement Agency. Amends the amount of the annual fee imposed by the Child Support Enforcement Agency to be in compliance with federal regulations. (HB946 HD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
