[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[December 31, 1998]
[Page 2219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Efforts To Increase Child Support Collections
December 31, 1998

    Since I became President, my administration has waged an 
unprecedented campaign to make deadbeat parents pay the support their 
children need and deserve. Today we have new evidence that our efforts 
are working: child support collections have gone up a record 80 percent 
since I took office, from $8 billion in 1992 to an estimated $14.4 
billion in 1998. But we must do more to ensure that each and every 
parent honors his obligation to his children. That is why my new budget 
will propose new funds to help identify, investigate, and prosecute 
deadbeat parents. This effort will include new investigative teams in 
five regions of the country to identify, analyze, and investigate cases 
for criminal prosecution, and an eightfold increase in legal support 
personnel to help prosecute these new cases. With continued commitment 
and this new funding, we can do even more to support our Nation's 
children.