The Texas Attorney General has set forth a program barring parents behind on child support payments from renewing vehicle registration. In short, deadbeat parents of Texas are now on notice.
Since Sept. 2016, the Texas Attorney General's office has warned "delinquent" parents of the program. The office instructs those behind on child support to arrange payment plans or risk being unable to register their vehicles.
According to Dallas News, December was the first month registration renewal requests were denied over unpaid child support. In turn, the state of Texas has collected more than $160,000 statewide since the launch of the program.
Kayleigh Lovvorn, a spokeswoman for the attorney general said that 541 parents have been notified since Nov. 30. Furthermore, of those 541 receiving notice, payments were made across 635 child support cases.
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With all that in mind, not everyone is singing the attorney general's praises. Some family law practices have come to question whether the ends of the program justify the means.
Over the course of the past year, the Texas attorney general's office has collected nearly $3.9 billion in child support, giving the state the highest collection rates for the ninth year in a row. Still, some feel that $160,000 is far too small an amount in comparison to the $3.9 billion to bring about such hard lined programming.
Texas can deny vehicle registration renewals to parents who have not posted child support payments for more than six months. So, let that be a word to the wise for any deadbeats. If you don't pay your child support, you run the risk of driving without valid registration.
