The Scoop: State’s new policy smells like a diaper
Here’s yet another item to add to my list of most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. I believe the list has now reached double digits.
The state of Tennessee – in an effort to get tough against parents who fall behind on their child support payments – is now revoking driver’s licenses and professional licenses.
If you’re a few months late on paying child support, you could be without your car and your job.
When first digesting this news, the natural inclination is to say, “Yeah boy! Tennessee is kicking butt and taking names. That will teach those deadbeat parents a lesson.”
Unfortunately, when the initial that-a-boy mentality wears off, what remains is a policy which doesn’t help anyone – most of all Tennessee children. Think about the consequences of such action.
If a parent is struggling to make financial ends meet, it’s not the smartest thing to take away their job. Generally speaking, when most people go to work, they earn money.
No job means no money and that certainly won’t increase the frequency of those child support payments. If daddy had trouble making payments with a job, think how those payments will really dry up as soon as his paycheck disappears.
For a person who relies on their professional license for employment – teachers, hairdressers, lawyers, doctors – revoking that license threatens their livelihood. The same could be said for driver’s licenses. For some people, their job revolves around driving, or at least entails some driving requirements.
How is snatching a person’s driving privileges going to make child support payments arrive with more regularity? The answer is it’s not.
The 2,000 or so Tennessee driver’s licenses which have been revoked, along with the over 250 professional licenses, have been taken away as punishment. One of the many problems with this is the punishment does not fit the crime.
A person should lose his or her driver’s license for driving violations such as a DUI or repeated speeding tickets. A person should lose his or her professional license for unethical behavior related to the job. Missing a few child support payments doesn’t qualify.
Now don’t misinterpret my stance on child support. Failing to make child support payments is a serious issue and action must be taken to ensure parents are accountable. I firmly believe it’s the responsibility of both parents to provide for their child or children.
The fact people are not making their child support payments – and are getting away with it – is a pressing concern. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports over $80 billion in back child support payments are owed nationally. With a figure like that, it’s obvious something must be done.
But if child service officials are truly looking out for the best interest of children, forcing one of their parents to lose their source of income is not the solution. That’s not going to put food on the table.
If state officials are going so far as to revoke licenses, why not simply garnish an employee’s wages. That way the money is taken out before that person gets their hands on it.
If the object is to punish someone for not making payments, toss them in jail for 24 or 48 hours over the weekend. That way they can keep their job which means they will continue to earn money.
To add more emphasis, toss them in jail during the weekend they’re supposed to see their kids. That will really send a message. And more importantly, there will still be a job waiting when they get out.
Child support is a touchy issue, no doubt about it. If it is the well-being of children everyone is seeking, Tennessee’s new policy should be tossed out with the dirty diapers.
(James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)