News on Child Support Collection and Indiana Casinos

This in from today's The Indianapolis Star:

A bill that would force casinos to screen jackpot winners for parents who owe child support faces a key hurdle in the Statehouse today.

Senate Bill 163 will get a hearing in the House Public Policy Committee. If it becomes law, it could help recoup some of the $2 billion in child support owed here and boost Indiana's lagging record of collecting it.

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The Indiana Casino Association is fighting the measure. It says checking names adds red tape and wastes time at the payout desk. Some argue that the casino industry, which is privately run, shouldn't be forced to comply with the mandate.

Indiana ranked 41st among states in the percentage of child support it collected, according to 2008 figures from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, the most recent available. Pennsylvania was first, with a 79 percent collection rate.

Not sure if that includes what comes through the County Clerks and private actions, or not.

Bray said pilot projects in other states show that catching debtors at the counter can increase child support collections significantly. He said Colorado collected more than $600,000 in gambling winnings in the first year after a 2008 law took effect there.

The bill also would require children involved in custody cases to be covered by health insurance, a decision federal law leaves up to individual states.

Will have to see the language for the health insurance coverage. And I will refrain from any comments about the federal government pushing this off onto parents while they cannot pass health care reform.