Ensuring Children Receive Support Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6903) to require the Secretary of State to revoke any United States passport issued to an individual, on receipt of a certification by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that the individual has a child support arrearage exceeding $2,500, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Beth Van Duyne and Jimmy Panetta.

This legislation has a simple premise: Parents must meet their obligations to care for their kids, period. It is pretty simple.

To ensure that is happening, State-level child support agencies rely in part on the Passport Denial Program, which is run out of the State Department and, as its name suggests, is used to deny the ability of delinquent parents to obtain a passport to leave the country when they owe back child support.

The State Department has authority under current law to deny, limit, or revoke a passport of an individual, but as we have discovered, quite often the bureaucracy does not act with the level of urgency that is needed. This bill makes it clear that the State Department must revoke an individual's passport, both at the time of initial application for a passport and at the time of renewal.

Research indicates that child support is a significant portion of income for low-income families, making up 41 percent of total income when received and can help reduce poverty and reliance on welfare. Among all families served, 24 percent have income below the Federal poverty level.

Representatives Van Duyne and Panetta are doing tremendous work here to ensure that States have the enforcement tools that they need and children receive the support that they need and are owed without delay.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne), the sponsor of this legislation and someone who is standing up for children across this country to ensure that they get the support that they need.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation strengthens the federal child support enforcement program, which is meant to ensure parents pay the support that they owe to their children.

This program is one of the most effective Federal programs we have. In 2024, States reported nearly $30 million in collections through the passport denial program, and over 5,000 payments were made to custodial families.

The bill closes a loophole in current law that can let parents with large unpaid child support debts receive a passport renewal without consequence. This bill makes sure that the State Department uses its authority to revoke passports, both at the time of the application and renewal. We should use every opportunity to make sure children get the support that they need to thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act, which I am proud to co-lead with Representative Van Duyne. I thank her for her leadership and thank the chairman for pushing this bill forward with overwhelming support out of the Ways and Means Committee onto the House floor for this vote.

This bill would expand the existing bipartisan legislation and the universal commonsense values of taking care of our children.

It addresses the somber issue when it comes to the services and protections that we can provide for children.

We all know that parenthood is a privilege, but it is also a serious responsibility. Unfortunately, nationwide, there is more than $115 billion owed in child support arrears. As of fiscal year 2024, there were more than 8.7 million parents who hadn't made a payment in over 5 years.

In 1996, Congress, in a bipartisan fashion, gave the State Department the authority to withhold passports and passport renewals from someone with unpaid child support. That is called the passport denial program. That program collects about $30 million a year in outstanding child support debt, but this is out of about $30 billion that we collect each year in total child support payments.

That means that the vast majority of child support goes uncollected, single parents struggle, and, unfortunately, that means that, at times, children can go hungry.

I believe we should be doing everything we can to close this gap and ensure child support is making it to the children who need it the most. The Ensuring Children Receive Support Act is part of that effort.

It is legislation that builds on the existing law that I talked about by rescinding passports when someone is more than $2,500 in arrears for child support. When you don't pay, you must stay.

Under this bill, people would get a notice that their case is being referred to the State Department. However, if necessary, there would be emergency passports if they urgently need to travel while in arrears. Moreover, they would also be eligible to have their passports reinstated once they pay their child support.

With this bill, we are ensuring that the Federal Government plays its part to meet the urgency that so many single parents feel and finds practical solutions to ensure that child support gets paid. That is why I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to pass this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. The majority of child support, as we have heard, goes uncollected. Today, we have a chance to do something about it.

The Ensuring Children Receive Support Act would expand existing bipartisan policy to ensure the law is enforced and children receive the support that they need.

Representative Van Duyne understands that. I thank her for her leadership on this bill because a vote for this legislation is a vote to support children, and ultimately, it supports families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and I thank my colleague Congressman Panetta from California for also helping to introduce this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act.

Nearly 2 weeks ago, families experienced one of the largest tax refund seasons on record, with an estimated $91 billion already issued as part of an expected $370 billion refund season. On average, families can look forward to nearly $4,000 back in their pockets compared to last year, and families with two children earning $73,000 will have no Federal income tax liability.

Supporting working families is more important than ever, especially now that the working families tax cuts have been signed into law. By claiming the standard deduction and the child tax credit, families keep more of their hard-earned money to be able to provide for their families by putting food on the table, covering rent, or keeping

up with everyday expenses, giving them immediate relief when it matters most.

However, ensuring children are taken care of should not be negotiable, particularly in joint custody households where both parents share responsibility. When child support obligations go unmet, that responsibility breaks down, leaving children without the consistent support they deserve.

In 2024 alone, there were over 8 million unpaid child support cases-- at the direct expense of our children. That is why stronger enforcement tools are necessary to hold delinquent parents accountable.

Mr. Speaker, just weeks after the Ways and Means Committee marked up my legislation, we have seen reports that the administration is moving to proactively revoke passports for individuals who owe significant child support. That reinforces exactly what this bill is about: making sure the tools we already have are used both effectively and consistently.

The passport denial program administered by the State Department currently allows for the denial or revocation of a passport when an individual owes more than $2,500 in past-due child support and seeks consular services.

My bill strengthens this program by requiring the State Department to revoke an individual's passport and notify them of the intent to take such action. If an individual is abroad when their passport is revoked, the State Department may make an emergency exception to allow that individual to return to the United States.

Since its implementation, this program has successfully collected over $600 million in past-due child support, including $30 million in 2024 alone. This legislation builds on that success by strengthening enforcement and ensuring accountability for those who deliberately evade their obligations as parents.

When parents meet their responsibilities, children have greater stability. Families are stronger, and taxpayers are not left picking up the tab.

Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense, bipartisan step forward and a clear win for children and families. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to include in the Record an exchange of letters with the Foreign Affairs Committee on H.R. 6903

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, April 23, 2026.

Hon. Jason Smith,

Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for consulting with the

Committee on Foreign Affairs on the text of H.R. 6903, the

Ensuring Children Receive Support Act. I agree that Foreign

Affairs may be discharged from further consideration of the

bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House Floor.

This agreement is made with the understanding that it does

not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Foreign Affairs or prejudice our jurisdictional

prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the

future. I also request your support for the appointment of an

appropriate number of Foreign Affairs conferees to any House-

Senate conference that might occur on this legislation.

I would appreciate it if you could include this letter in

your committee report on the bill or place it into the Record

during Floor consideration. I look forward to continuing to

work together as this measure moves through the legislative

process.

Sincerely,

Brian Mast,

Chairman.