This bill would take away the passports of people who owe a significant amount in child support, making it harder for them to travel. It aims to encourage parents to pay their child support on time.
Ensuring Children Receive Support Act This bill specifies that the Department of State must revoke passports for certain individuals who fail to make child support payments. Under current law, if the Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Department of Health and Human Services receives information from a state that an individual owes more than $2,500 in child support, the State Department must refuse to issue the individual a passport and may revoke a previously issued passport. The bill specifies that the State Department must revoke a previously issued passport in these circumstances. The bill also provides statutory authority for the State Department to allow such an individual to be issued a limited-duration passport for direct return to the United States. For more information about this bill, see CRS Insight IN12660.