Summary:
- Payments would be held if individuals are behind on child support.
- State records could be checked for unpaid support payments.
- The bill covers only bigger casino winnings.
Parents who are behind on child support may be forced to pay up if they earn a big win at Mississippi casinos. Senator Walter Michel introduced a measure requiring casinos to remove a portion of a big win to pay for unmade child support payments. SB 2132 has moved to the Senate Gaming Committee for consideration.
Similar to Unclaimed Property Law
The bill is similar to an unclaimed property law that was passed a few years ago. The state treasurer’s office can look at the records of anyone who files for unclaimed property. If unpaid child support is present, a portion of the unclaimed amount would go to make the payment.
With the new bill, the state can check records and see if an individual owes child support. As a win is earned at a casino, the operator will check tax records and have access to the individual’s social security number. The new measure would set up a portal connected to the Department of Human Services. A check would be made on owed child support, and then appropriate amounts would be taken out to cover what is owed.
How the process would be completed would be left to the Department of Human Services and the State Gaming Commission. Both groups would need to come up with a threshold that would be considered for making the unpaid payments.
Child Support Payments are Lacking
The amount of child support paid in the state is low and this measure will hopefully help to alleviate some of the issue. A report from 2020 showed that as of 2019, only 54% of child support payments were collected. The performance of child support payments has not improved since 2000.
Michel tried to introduce a similar measure last year but could not move the bill out of committee. He received pushback from the gaming commission as the group needed more time to figure out how to implement such a change.
Michel is trying again and pointed out that provisions were put in similar to what the lottery added when it was established to help with child support payments. The deadline for this new bill is March 5 to come out of committee, so hopefully, the measure has enough support to give some payments to the children whose parents are not holding to their responsibilities with support. We should know in the next month if the measure can move forward or if it stalls once again.
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