Attorney General Schwalb Proposes Child Support System Reforms
Read the full announcement here.
Bill Overview
The Child Support Improvement Amendment Act of 2026 seeks to take advantage of changes to federal law that allow the District more say in how collected child support payments are allocated. Specifically, the Act will require that:
All child support payments for families receiving TANF go directly to these families and children. Until this year, the amount of child support payments that could go to families who receive TANF was capped at $150 per month. In the FY2026 budget, at the urging of Attorney General Schwalb, the District increased this cap to $200 a month. When fully implemented, the Child Support Improvement and Amendment Act will remove the cap entirely for these families and ensure that every child support dollar collected is sent to them.
All overdue child support payments that are collected go directly to families and children. When fully implemented, all overdue child support payments (known as “arrears”), will go directly to families who currently or formerly received TANF.
Ensure that child support collection efforts focus on payments that are due while the child is still young. It is critical that parents receive child support payments when that money is most impactful – when the child is still a child or young adult. Currently, every child support payment is a standalone obligation that expires after 12 years, unless renewed. This reform will effectively amend the statute of limitations to until the child is 26.
The text of the legislation is here.