LINCOLN- Last week, LB233, introduced by Sen. John Cavanaugh, passed on a 46-0 vote. The bill will allow more child support that otherwise would have gone to the federal government or several state programs to be placed directly in the hands of struggling parents. Over the past decade, the state has collected $15.7 million in child support due to people in its welfare system, called Aid to Dependent Children.

Right now, a single parent who qualifies for the Aid to Dependent Children assistance is eligible to receive a maximum of $464 per month if they have one child. However, should they receive this assistance, they will not get some or all of their owed child support money. That lost money, usually around $240 per month, can significantly affect a family's budget, said Diane Amdor of Nebraska Appleseed.

Sen. Cavanaugh's bill originally would've allowed all due child support to go to families, but that was predicted to cost the state $1 million annually. As amended the final bill will allow parents enrolled in Aid to Dependent Children to receive $100 of child support for one child or $200 for two or more children. According to a spokeswoman from Gov. Pillen's office, this ensures that Nebraska won't have to reimburse the federal government for its share of collections.

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