Ken Paxton SHATTERS Child Support Collection Records

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
James 1:27

While 10th amendment lawsuits and opinions on controversial topics generate more headlines, one of the most important day-to-day functions of the Texas Attorney General is to collect and disburse child support; in Ken Paxton's first year on the job, the A.G's office has SMASHED the previous record:

Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division Sets Record by Collecting $3.9 Billion in Child Support for Texas Children

Monday, September 14, 2015 – Austin, Texas 

The Texas Attorney General’s Office Child Support Division set a record by collecting more than $3.9 billion in child support for the state fiscal year that ended Aug. 31. The $3.9 billion in collections benefitted 943,000 families and topped the previous year’s record by $186 million.

"The efficient and effective collection of child support is of benefit both to Texas families and to Texas taxpayers, helping provide security for children and ensuring that noncustodial parents support their children – not the state," Attorney General Ken Paxton said. "Our state is blessed by the dedication of the hard-working men and women of our Child Support Division, who once again have raised the bar when it comes to protecting the financial well-being of Texas children."

“By ensuring that parents financially support their children – rather than taxpayer-funded public assistance programs – the Child Support Division saved taxpayers an estimated $1.76 billion in state fiscal year 2014, as child support payments reduced the need for TANF, food stamps and Medicaid,” said Deputy Director for Child Support Mara Friesen.

The Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division ranks first nationally in the amount of child support collected, a position it has held for the past eight years. Texas also ranks first in collections per child support employee and cost effectiveness. According to the federal government’s latest annual report, collections per Texas child support employee averaged $1.4 million in Fiscal Year 2014, compared to the national average of $565,000 per employee. In addition, by collecting $11.34 for every dollar spent, Texas is first in cost effectiveness, besting the national cost effectiveness ratio of $5.25 by 216 percent.

The $3.9 billion collected in state fiscal year 2015 helped more than 240,000 families who once received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families maintain their self-sufficiency without public assistance.

Under state and federal law, the Office of the Attorney General can assist families who request child support services and must serve families who currently receive or have received public assistance. Services offered by the Child Support Division include locating absent parents; establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents; establishing, enforcing and modifying child and medical support orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments. 

The Attorney General’s Child Support Division is the most successful and cost-effective program in the nation. The division currently administers 1.5 million child support cases, serving 1.7 million children. The division collects $11.34 for every $1 spent to operate the program and collected $3.7 billion in child support in Federal FY 2014.

Bottom Line: It's a shame there are enough families breaking up and out of wedlock births to put us anywhere close to record setting territory, but given that reality it's heartening to see our state agencies achieving maximum results on this important issue with minimal overhead.