WHEREAS, the Child Support Enforcement Program implements a federal/state effort to collect child support from absent parents and, in Hawaii, the state agency managing the program is the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) within the Department of the Attorney General; and

WHEREAS, the CSEA has a support staff of enforcement officers, investigators, accountants, attorneys, paralegals, and other personnel who help establish and enforce orders to collect child support; and

WHEREAS, the CSEA, on a case-by-case basis, offers the following services:

(1) Locating an absent parent;

(2) Establishing paternity;

(4) Collecting and disbursing support obligations; and

(5) Enforcing delinquent child support obligations;

and

WHEREAS, the CSEA handles more than 111,000 active collection accounts involving more than $104,000,000 annually, and the caseload for CSEA caseworkers is 73 percent higher than the national average, averaging over 450 cases each; and

WHEREAS, despite some improvements in the last decade, there have been persistent complaints about the inefficient operation of the CSEA; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a financial and management audit of the CSEA; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Attorney General and the Administrator of the CSEA are requested to fully cooperate with the Auditor in the conduct of the financial and management audit; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit the results of the financial and management audit, including any necessary proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, the Attorney General, and the Administrator of the Child Support Enforcement Agency.

Report Title:

Child Support Enforcement Agency; Financial and Management Audit