The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement reports that over $100 billion in unpaid child support was owed to custodial parents nationwide in 2009. For parents with custody who are below the poverty line, support payments can represent up to 45 percent of their regular income. A child support attorney in DuPage County understands that missed payments can become a big problem for families when children lose access to the basics that they are privy to.
In an attempt to reduce the number of non-custodial parents missing, ignoring or skipping out on court-ordered child support payments, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has created Deadbeats Don’t Drive, a measure formally called the Family Financial Responsibility Act. Legal ability is awarded to the Secretary of State’s Office by the law to revoke the driver’s licenses of those who consistently fail to make support payments.
Methods of suspension
License revocations through Deadbeats Don’t Drive can be utilized in two different ways. The methods of suspending a driver’s license are generally the same, but there are two systems that may be used. A judge can call on the measure to uphold a court-ordered suspension by submitting a record of nonpayment directly to the Secretary of State’s Office.
If the delinquent payments have lasted for 90 days or more, a pending suspension is placed on the non-paying parent’s driving record, and a notification is sent informing the parent that his or her license will be revoked in 60 days if the missed payments are not made in full.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services also has authority under Deadbeats Don’t Drive to request license revocation due to missed support payments from the Secretary of State. Any cases where a parent has been delinquent in making a payment for over 90 days are reported to the Secretary of State’s Office, which then follows the same method of informing the parent in arears of a pending revocation.
A child support attorney in DuPage County knows that an offending parent may be able to avoid losing driving privileges if he or she does one of the following:
- Pays all past and current child support in full
- Requests an administrative hearing during the 60-day warning period
- Notifies the Secretary of State that all requirements have been met
Obtaining legal aid
The state of Illinois takes child support payments very seriously. A parent who needs help obtaining missed support payments in order to properly care for his or her children may benefit from working with a child support attorney in DuPage County.
