Pennsylvania Law: Statutes

• Title 23 (Domestic Relations)
• Support Matters Generally
• Uniform Interstate Family Support Act Chapters 71-79
• Intrastate Family Support Chapters 81-84

Federal Law, Regulations and Guidance

• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) required states to make substantial changes in their child support enforcement (IVD) programs. The child support provisions can be found here.

• The Congress made a number of  “technical amendments” to the statute as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). See sections 5531 et seq,
• Action Transmittals.  Some of the changes made in PRWORA and the BBA were inconsistent with federal regulations. This conflict required guidance from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  The guidance generally took the form of Action Transmittals. Transmittals 97-17 and 98-24 cover rules for the distribution of support collected.
• During the Summer of 1998, Congress again amended Title IVD in the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1988 (CSPIA).
• Federal regulations on child support are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 45, Chapter III, Parts 301-307.

• Other federal legislation.

  • Public Law: 105-187, Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1998
  • The Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act restricts the maximum allowable  garnishment of earned income for child support. See section 1673.
  • Interstate Family Support. Get an overview by Laura Morgan@FindLaw.
    • Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA). 1996 Act | 2001 Act | State laws
    • Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act (“FFCCSOA”) 28 USCS § 1738B
  • Rules & procedures governing the garnishment of Social Security benefits in general and specifically relating to child support orders from the Social Security Administration’s Program Operations Manual System (POMS).