Lisence Suspension leads to child support payments

[er-e-is]

License suspension program helps increase collection of child support payments (posted 10/29/12)
Wyoming Game & Fish
The threat of losing hunting and fishing privileges in Wyoming has helped improve collection of child support payments from individuals who are in arrears on their support payments in Wyoming.

In 2004, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in conjunction with the Wyoming Department of Family Services began a program where individuals who were not making their legally obligated child support payments were cross checked with hunting and fishing license databases to identify persons who purchase hunting and fishing licenses and were also not current on support payments.

In the ensuing years there have been 1,751 individual cases identified fitting both profiles. Those individuals were sent letters informing them non support could result in court revocation of hunting and fishing license privileges. In response, 1,441 of those cases made at least one payment which have totaled $52,589,000 since the program began. For those who still neglected to make payments, 134 have received license suspensions and of those, 111 have made at least one payment after the suspension resulting in payments of nearly $1,261,000.

WGFD Chief Fiscal Officer Rich Reynders said it is obvious hunting and fishing is important to Wyoming people. There are other states that have somewhat similar programs and have met with success in collecting payments," Reynders said. "But, if it takes the possibility of losing hunting and fishing privileges to serve as motivation to keep child support payments current, the program is accomplishing its purpose."

[aquaassassin]

WOW!

[zimmer2]

Now that is a good program. Way to Wyoming, more states should follow their lead.

[Chucker]

Wonderful that the program is in place, horrible that they have to go to those lengths to get deadbeats to make a payment.

[eyehi]

Wish ny would adopt this policy ....

[loonyone]

with all the stuff NY does you think they would adopt a set of these laws......way to go wy

[Cornbread]

This is a good system. We have it here in MT too. The problem with it is they only have to make one payment every three to six months to show they are making an effort to pay and that keeps the suspension from happening. I see why they have it that way but I also think they could maybe tighten up the slack a bit and get better results. I have gone through some really bad financial times since my divorce seven years ago but I have never missed a child support payment, if I can do it after what I went through I am sure most people can make their support payments.