TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer, today released the following statement regarding the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee’s hearing with the Judiciary:
“It’s time for the State to improve its child support system. New Jersey is one of only 13 states in the entire nation that does not charge interest or impose additional fees on parents who are delinquent in their child support payments.
” The current system places an unfair burden on custodial parents, who are forced to cover all of the expenses of raising a child, while deadbeat parents can shirk their responsibilities. We need to make sure that parents understand the importance of paying their child support payments in the same manner, if not more expeditiously, as they pay their other bills. Deadbeat parents should not be given interest-free loans at the expense of their children. Parents must make children their top priority.
” This session, I will be introducing a measure to require delinquent parents to be charged interest or fines for late payment of child support. According to today’s testimony, New Jersey ranks 9th in terms of the percentage of parents who actually pay child support payments, and to me this is not acceptable. We must work harder to make sure that New Jersey’s children are getting the money they deserve.”