This article is part of an ongoing Lawyers.com series looking at the child support crisis in America. Other articles in this series include: • Putting a Face on Unpaid Child Support: Kendra’s Story • Deadbeat Parents Don’t Pay Because There’s No Enforcement • Putting a Face on Unpaid Child Support: Gabrielle’s Story

With only 41.2 percent of custodial parents receiving the full child support they’re owed, and budget strapped states limited in what they can do to collect the rest, can the federal government ride in and save the day?

Not really.

“There is very little federal law that addresses family law,” says Kenneth Altshuler, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. “It’s very difficult to have national enforcement because the law is state by state.”

In other words, the FBI isn’t going to come knocking on deadbeats’ doors anytime soon. However, Washington D.C. does play a role in child support enforcement, providing guidance and resources to states, and at least one law is being considered by Congress to expand and strengthen enforcement options.

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