Last year, the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS) issued 1,961 of the state’s 15,841 license suspensions for child support defaults, according to Ohio JFS data obtained by the Dayton Daily News.
A new law slated to take effect this April — House Bill 29 — will permit those in default on their payments to present evidence that a suspension would effectively prevent them from getting current. This new law, however, doesn’t require JFS departments to act on that information.
Republican county Commissioner Mary McDonald said she considered the passage of H.B. 29 a win for working Ohioans.
“I understand the need to incentivize people paying support but I feel taking their license away will only compound the challenge,” she said. “I’m glad to see Ohio move in the direction of supporting people rather than having them set up for catastrophic failure.”
Although she wants to see the number of suspensions decrease and feels the new law could contribute to a decline, McDonald also feels Montgomery County Job and Family Services should be able to use the option “when necessary.”
“I believe having the option to petition the court for driving privileges will help parents stay employed while still holding them accountable for their obligations,” she said. “When parents who are making an effort can keep working, they are in a better position to stay on top of their payments.”
When asked about license suspensions due to missed child support payments, Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge, a Democrat, said Tuesday that she thinks they can create barriers for parents.
When people lose their licenses as a result of failure to pay child support, they may also end up losing their employment due to lacking reliable transportation. Many people, too, also need valid licenses to maintain their jobs, like anyone working in the shipment industry, Dodge said.
“How do they pay their child support then? And how does that help the child?” she said. “I just think the job of the person needs to be considered.”
In Ohio, county JFS agencies are responsible for collecting child support payments. Officials there have said this method is an “effective tool” for encouraging payment.
“This allows us to work with them and refer them to resources in the county to assist them with gaining employment,” Reba Chenoweth, the public information officer for Montgomery County Human Services, previously told the Dayton Daily News. “Many of our customers contact us after receiving a pre-suspension notice and we can work quickly with them and prevent suspension.”
Parents also have multiple options for license restoration. This includes setting up a short-term payment plan, making a payment of at least 50% of what was owed over the last three months, reporting new employment and more.
“Driver’s license suspension is a discretionary remedy used as leverage to encourage compliance with a child support order for a parent who is not paying at least 50% of their support,” said Chenoweth in a recent statement.
