Government Innovation: Of Deadbeat Dads and Moose Hunting?
March 27, 2006
Neat article from recent USA Today speaks to state level innovation in regards to child support.
Armed with better technology, states are finding innovative ways to collect child support, using methods such as acquiring the cell phone records of deadbeat parents, or withholding their moose-hunting licenses. States are seeking the legal authority to track down dead beat dads through the information related to their cell phone records. This is a creative and innovative way to find data on those who are avoiding responsibility for their actions.
Here are a few excerpts that caught my attention:
"Several states have withheld hunting and fishing licenses to people who haven't paid child support." Maine has denied licenses for worm diggers and moose hunters who didn't pay up. Kay Cullen, speaking for the National Child Support Enforcement Association, provides a great example. "One parent paid more than $32,000 for his chance to shoot a moose. It shows you his priorities." Cullen demonstrates support of these unconventional tactics, and the need for new ways of dealing with old problems, saying, "States will have to find better, more creative ways to do more with less."
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