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Introduced Version House Bill 2106 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
H. B. 2106


(By Delegates DeLong, Amores, Varner,
Caputo, Stemple and Perry)

[Introduced February 9, 2005; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]



A BILL to amend and reenact §48-1-230 of the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend said code by adding thereto two new sections, designated §48-18-119a and §48-18-119b, all relating to child support generally; providing for liens upon child support obligors' proceeds from worker's compensation awards, from civil settlements, judgments, or awards from arbitration or other alternative dispute resolutions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §48-1-230 of the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that said code be amended by adding thereto two new sections, designated §48-18-119a and §48-18-119b, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS; DEFINITIONS.
PART 2--DEFINITIONS.

§48-1-230. Income defined.

"Income" includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Commissions, earnings, salaries, wages, and other income due or to be due in the future to an individual from his or her employer and successor employers;

(2) Any payment due or to be due in the future to an individual from a profit-sharing plan, a pension plan, an insurance contract, an annuity, social security, unemployment compensation, supplemental employment benefits, workers' compensation benefits, judgments, settlements, awards resulting from arbitration or other alternative dispute resolution, state lottery winnings and prizes, and overtime pay;

(3) Any amount of money which is owing to an individual as a debt from an:
(A) An individual, partnership, limited partnership, association, limited liability company, or public or private corporation,;
(B) the The United States or any federal agency, this state or any political subdivision of this state, another state or a political subdivision of another state,; or
(C) any Any other person or legal entity which that is indebted to the obligor.
ARTICLE 18. BUREAU FOR CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT.
§48-18-119a. Obtaining support from workers' compensation benefits.

(a) The commissioner of the bureau of employment programs shall determine on a periodic basis whether individuals receiving workers' compensation benefits owe child support obligations which are being enforced or have been requested to be enforced by the bureau for child support enforcement. If an individual is receiving such compensation and owes any such child support obligation which is not being met, the bureau for child support enforcement shall enter into an agreement with such individual to have specified amounts withheld otherwise payable to such individual, and shall submit a copy of such agreement to the Workers' Compensation Division. In the absence of such agreement, the bureau for child support enforcement shall bring legal process to require the withholding of amounts from such compensation.
(b) The secretary shall enter into a written agreement with the Workers' Compensation Division for the purpose of withholding workers' compensation from individuals with unmet support obligations being enforced by the bureau for child support enforcement. The bureau for child support enforcement shall agree only to a withholding program that it expects to be cost effective, and, as to reimbursement, shall agree only to reimburse the Workers' Compensation Division for its actual, incremental costs of providing services to the bureau for child support enforcement.
(c) The commission shall promulgate a procedural rule for selecting cases to pursue through the withholding of workers' compensation for support purposes. This rule shall be designed to ensure maximum case selection and minimal discretion in the selection process.
(d) The commissioner shall, not less than annually, provide a receipt to an individual who requests a receipt for the support paid through the withholding of workers' compensation, if receipts are not provided through other means.
(e) The commissioner shall, through direct contact with the Workers' Compensation Division, process cases through the Workers' Compensation Division in this state, and shall process cases through support enforcement agencies in other states. The commissioner shall receive all amounts withheld by the Workers' Compensation Division in this state, forwarding any amounts withheld on behalf of support enforcement agencies in other states to those agencies.
(f) At least one time per year, the commission shall review and document program operations, including case selection criteria established under subsection (c) of this section, and the costs of the withholding process versus the amounts collected and, as necessary, modify procedures and renegotiate the services provided by the Workers' Compensation Division to improve program and cost effectiveness.
(g) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Legal process" means a writ, order, summons or other similar process in the nature of garnishment which is issued by a court of competent jurisdiction or by an authorized official pursuant to an order to such court or pursuant to state or local law.
(2) "Workers' compensation" means any compensation under state workers' compensation law, as set forth in chapter twenty-three of this code. For purposes of this section, it does not include payments made under section three or four, article four, chapter twenty-three of this code.
§48-18-119b. Insurance claim intercept law.
(a) The Legislature hereby authorizes the bureau for child support enforcement to join with other states and their administrative powers and with insurance companies in a multi-state network wherein the various states pool their delinquent child support obligor information in the network database, which is then electronically matched daily with claims filed with insurance companies across the country.
(b) Upon notice from the network that there is a claim and matching to a delinquent obligor, the bureau of child support enforcement shall use claim information and company contacts to follow up immediately with the insurance company to file the appropriate administrative notice of lien or income withholding order against any future settlement.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for liens on child support obligors proceeds from workers' compensation awards, civil settlements, judgments, arbitration and other alterative dispute resolution awards.

strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.


§48-18-119a and §48-18-119b
is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.


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