February 25, 2008

            LANSING −Attorney General Mike Cox today announced that his Child Support Division has surpassed the $50 million mark in child support collections. As a result, 4,596 children received direct financial assistance, equating to $11,010.55 per child.

            Over the last five years, Michigan has led the nation in reducing the number of child support cases in arrears (41,229 cases) as well as in percentage decrease (6.3% decrease). In fact, Michigan's drop of 41,229 delinquent cases of past due child support comes at a time when the national average for cases in arrears has increased by 17,123 per state over that same time period.

            "There are no persons more vulnerable and more deserving of justice in Michigan than our children," Cox said. "We're not just providing money to children − we're sending a message that child support is the law, and those who flout the law will be prosecuted."

            The decrease in 41,229 past due cases means that approximately 66,000 children who were not previously receiving the child support they were entitled to by law are now receiving child support.

            "Given Michigan's tough economy, I believe the primary reason for the decrease in past due cases is because of our enforcement of Michigan's child support laws," Cox said.

            In addition to children and custodial parents benefiting, so are Michigan's taxpayers. That is because the Attorney General's Child Support Division is a moneymaker for the State of Michigan.

            In just the last two years, the Child Support Division has collected $3,426,140 for the State. The cost to the State of Michigan was $1,527,900, meaning that the program reimbursed taxpayers a total of $1,898,240 (money that goes to offsetting the federal monies the State receives for welfare benefits).

            "This program is a win for Michigan's children, a win for custodial parents and a win for the taxpayers," Cox observed.

            The top five counties where past due child support has been collected are:

            1. Wayne        $10,767,593

            2. Oakland       $ 7,180,105

            3. Kent            $ 2,508,962

            4. Washtenaw  $ 2,148,971

            5. Genesee      $ 1,633,327

            Cox created the first-of-its-kind in the nation Child Support Division within an Attorney General's Office in 2003.

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