AB 207 Summary

• Suspends child support obligations effective the first day of the first full month of incarceration or involuntary institutionalization (previously required 90+ consecutive days), and resumes upon release; applies to all child support obligations regardless of when the order was established.

• Requires Judicial Council to include labor market data (employment/unemployment rates, earnings) in periodic reviews of statewide child support guidelines; prohibits courts from treating incarceration as voluntary unemployment when determining earning capacity.

• Establishes passthrough of child support payments collected on assigned support obligations to former CalWORKs recipients (except foster care recipients), effective July 1, 2023, with undeliverable payments after 6 months going to recoup aid paid.

• Creates two programs for Indian tribes: Tribally Approved Homes Compensation Program ($75,000 annual allocation per eligible tribe for recruiting foster/adoptive homes) and Tribal Dependency Representation Program ($15,000 annual allocation per tribe for legal counsel in Indian child custody proceedings).

• Establishes Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support Program to provide state and local funds to counties for specialized permanency work and family connections for foster children; appropriates $3,000,000 in federal funds for fiscal year 2022-23.