CHILD SUPPORT
COMMITTEE

State of Arizona

2004 Annual Report

Submitted by:

Representative Peter Hershberger
Senator Jim Waring

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ............................................................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................................ 2
Historical Background ................................................................... 2
Legislative Response ...................................................................... 3
Membership .................................................................................... 5
Child Support Committee 2004 ............................................................ 7
Summary ......................................................................................... 7
Membership .................................................................................... 8
Work, Findings and Recommendations ........................................ 9
Tasks and Objectives ........................................................... 9
Guidelines Workgroup .............................................. 9
Strategic Planning Workgroup ................................. 9
Child Support Solutions Workgroup ..................... 10
Funding & Automation Workgroup........................ 10
Public Outreach/Customer Service Workgroup ... 11
Statute Review Workgroup ..................................... 11
Recommendations for Legislative Action......................... 12
Other Issues Before the Council........................................ 13
Future Actions .............................................................................. 13

TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued
Appendix
Child Support Committee ..................................................................... i
Purpose ........................................................................................... i
Membership ................................................................................... ii
List of Members ............................................................................ iv

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
2004 ANNUAL REPORT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As required by law (A.R.S. §25-323.01), the Child Support Committee,
jointly chaired by Representative Peter Hershberger and Senator Jim
Waring, submits to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
the House of Representatives and the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme
Court the following report.
The Child Support Committee (“Committee”) was created in 2002 to
continue the work of its predecessor, the Child Support Coordinating
Council Subcommittee. The Committee’s purpose to explore concepts for
improving the child support system again proved to be successful and
beneficial to Arizona’s residents as evidenced by the passage of legislative
proposals designed to enhance the child support system. A strategic plan
developed by the Committee in 2003 created three new ad hoc workgroups
who began studying and developing recommendations to the Committee for
improvements to system processes and various child support laws. The longstanding Statute Review Workgroup continued their exemplary work to
enhance the child support system in Arizona.
The Committee was originally conceived as a forum for all system
stakeholders to develop and coordinate policies and strategies to improve the
child support system. The Committee’s efforts evidenced the wisdom and
importance of forging collaborative solutions. Efforts of various Committee
workgroups have produced additional recommendations intended for
introduction to the Legislature and Arizona Supreme Court in 2005.

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
2004 ANNUAL REPORT
INTRODUCTION
Historical Background
Session law establishing the original Child Support Enforcement and
Domestic Relations Reform Committee grew from the work of a legislative
advisory committee.
In June 1993, Senator John Greene, President of the Senate, and
Representative Mark Killian, Speaker of the House of Representatives,
appointed a Joint Select Committee on Child Support Enforcement, cochaired by Senator Matt Salmon and Representative Pat Blake Wilder, with
the goal of creating an effective child support system for Arizona families
and children. To assist in this effort, in July 1993, the Select Committee
appointed a Technical Advisory Committee co-chaired by David Byers,
Administrative Director of the Courts, and Bonnie Tucker, Deputy Director
of the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
The Technical Advisory Committee brought together major stakeholders in
the statewide child support arena. Membership represented a cross section of
program administrators, parents, judicial officers and attorneys, creating a
forum for meaningful debate on the issues facing Arizona's child support
enforcement system.
The Technical Advisory Committee identified various problems within the
system and recommended solutions for corrective action, including
identification of the agency or entity responsible for initiating
implementation. Fifty-seven recommendations, of which 28 required
legislative action, were developed. At the conclusion of its mission, the
Committee submitted a report of its recommendations dated November 1,
1993.
In the course of deliberations, there was consensus that integrated planning
and communication among all of the child support stakeholders is vital to
ensure continued improvement in the system. Thus, the first

recommendation made in the Committee's report was that a child support
coordinating council be formed to provide a mechanism for on-going
communication and integrated planning among stakeholders to ensure
consistency in child support policies.
The Technical Advisory Committee also identified a problem concerning the
difficulty in understanding laws and procedures due to the lack of integration
of the statutes relating to domestic relations issues. To address this problem,
the Technical Advisory Committee recommended that a domestic relations
reform study committee be established to consolidate, revise and modernize
the domestic relations statutes.
Legislative Response
During the forty-first session, the Legislature created each of the two
subcommittees proposed in the recommendations of the Technical Advisory
Committee. By Laws 1994, Chapter 374, Section 24, both the Child Support
Coordinating Council Subcommittee (“Council”) and the Domestic
Relations Reform Study Subcommittee (“DR Subcommittee”) were
established within a single overarching legislative committee called the
Child Support Enforcement and Domestic Relations Reform Committee.
The Child Support Enforcement and Domestic Relations Reform Committee
consisted of the four co-chairs from each of the two subordinate
subcommittees. This overarching committee was established to coordinate
the work of the subcommittees, but was specifically directed not to make
substantive changes to the work, findings or recommendations of the two
subcommittees. Any conflicts between the findings or recommendations of
the subcommittees were to be referred back to the subcommittees for
resolution.
Each of the subcommittees was co-chaired by a member of the Senate and a
member of the House of Representatives. The enabling legislation identified
the composition of each subcommittee's membership and prescribed the
tasks to be undertaken. Reports were to be submitted by the subcommittees
quarterly to the Child Support Enforcement and Domestic Relations Reform
Committee. The overarching committee was responsible to report annually
on the work, findings and recommendations of the subcommittees to the
Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

The original legislation creating the overarching committee and its
subcommittees was effective July 17, 1994. That same enabling law
appropriated funds to the Arizona Supreme Court for costs associated with
staffing the subcommittees. In July 1994, the Arizona Supreme Court
designated the Domestic Relations Division of the Administrative Office of
the Courts (AOC) to provide that staff support.
The legislation that originally established the committee and its two
subcommittees was scheduled for repeal from and after December 31, 1997.
Provisions of law enacted in 1997 (Laws 1997, Chapters 45, 176 and 250)
extended this date so that each of the subcommittees continued to serve the
public until December 31, 2000. New legislation (Laws 2000, Chapter 312)
repealed Laws 1994, Chapter 374, Section 24 and added A.R.S. § 25-320.01
to statute. This statute, effective as of July 18, 2000, created the committee
and subcommittees by statute, rather than session law, and extended the life
of the committee and the two subcommittees until July 1, 2007. The statute
further specified that the Domestic Relations Reform Study Subcommittee
was to meet jointly with the Child Support Coordinating Council
Subcommittee at least twice each year.
Legislation passed in 2002 (Laws 2002, Chapter 332) eliminated the Child
Support Enforcement and Domestic Relations Reform Committee, the Child
Support Coordinating Council Subcommittee and Domestic Relations
Reform Study Subcommittee. The new law created a new structure and two
independent committees, the Child Support Committee (Committee) and the
Domestic Relations Committee, with simplified purposes, appointments and
reporting requirements and provided that the two committees will expire on
January 1, 2008. The Court Services Division, Court Programs Unit, AOC,
is still responsible for staffing the Committee created by this new legislation.
The new statute, A.R.S. §25-323.01, effective August 22, 2002, requires the
Committee to prepare an annual report on the work, findings and
recommendations regarding child support guidelines, enforcement and
related issues to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Governor and the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme
Court each year.
This report reflects the Committee’s work, findings and recommendations
for the year 2004.

Membership
The session law originally enacted in 1994 outlined the membership of each
subcommittee by position or category and directed how chairpersons would
be appointed. In 1995, the Legislature amended this law. Chapter 44 of the
Laws of 1995 altered the numbers of subcommittee members and attempted
to balance political party representation of legislative members. The 1995
law also directly affected the composition of the Council.
Under the original law, the only legislative members of the Council were the
two subcommittee co-chairs, one appointed from each legislative chamber.
As amended, session law provided there shall be two members of the Senate
from different political parties and two members of the House of
Representatives, also from different political parties. As a result, two
additional members, both of the minority party, were added to the Council in
1995. Co-chairperson positions were unaffected.
In 1997, the Legislature also added additional requirements of membership.
An amendment (Laws 1997, Chapter 173) to the original enabling law
(Laws 1994, chapter 374, section 24) provided that members of each
subcommittee shall serve two-year terms at the pleasure of the official or
officials who appointed them. Additionally, the law specified that the
appointments shall be made at the start of each even fiscal year and that
members may be re-appointed.
The new law enacted in 2002 that created the Committee did not alter its
membership, but eliminated the two-year term limit. Members now serve at
the pleasure of the appointing official. Appointments are made by the
Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
2004
Summary
In 2004, as in past years, the importance of the Child Support Committee
(Committee) as a recognized forum for cooperative decision making in the
area of child support was reaffirmed. Several workgroups that study and
suggest recommendations to revise child support laws and rules continued
their work throughout 2004. An in-depth strategic planning exercise was
undertaken in the preceding year that resulted in the formation of several
new workgroups who were assigned specific tasks to study and develop
recommendations for improvements to the child support system. The
Strategic Planning Workgroup finalized its recommendations in April, 2004,
and the Committee approved them thereafter. As a result, three new ad hoc
workgroups were formed, including: (1) Child Support Solutions, (2)
Funding & Automation and (3) Public Outreach/Customer Service.
Standing workgroup, Statute Review, met throughout the year to develop
legislative proposals for the Forty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular
Session. Proposals include amendments that narrow the scope of the child
support disability statute, request an appropriation to develop a child support
arrears calculator, and bring paternity laws into conformance with other
sections in Title 25 and with current practice.
Although the Guidelines Workgroup was disbanded upon conclusion of its
work in 2003, an interim Economic Study Workgroup began developing its
membership and scope of work. The new workgroup will begin meeting in
2005.
Several presentations were made to the Committee throughout the year to
inform them of current issues in the child support system. The Division of
Child Support Enforcement provided an overview of its new website,
eDCSE, which provides customers with child support information and
access to case and payment history information for those who request such
access. The addition provided a tremendous public service to customers in
the IV-D child support program.

Equally significant was a review of the Maricopa Family Court system that
was conducted by an independent consulting firm. The review resulted in
streamlined case management and case flow, thereby decreasing the time
families spend in the court system. The improvements are anticipated to
assist the public by giving them more control over their cases and increasing
their access to the courts.
Judge Mark Armstrong, Chair of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Committee
on the Rules of Procedure in Domestic Relations Cases, provided members
with an overview of the proposed rules. Many provisions within the rules
proposal will affect child support cases. Currently, domestic relations cases
operate under the Rules of Civil Procedure but do not always apply to
domestic relations cases.
Membership
The session law originally establishing the Child Support Coordinating
Council Subcommittee (Laws 1994, Chapter 374, Section 24) prescribed the
membership composition of the Council by title or category and directed
how each would be appointed. The new law enacted in 2002 that eliminated
the Council and created the Child Support Committee did not alter the
membership composition.
Only one resignation from the Committee occurred in 2004. Judge Mark
Armstrong, Family Court Presiding Judge in Maricopa County, ended his
term on that bench and was appointed Presiding Tax Court Judge. Judge
Armstrong served actively on the Committee for several years and chaired
many workgroups such as the Child Support Guidelines Workgroup and the
Statute Review Workgroup.
Senator Jim Waring and Representative Peter Hershberger again led the
Committee as co-chairs. Their cooperative spirit and support of the
Committee was instrumental in the passage of several key legislative
proposals.
Work, Findings and Recommendations
The Committee met four times in 2004. In past years, meetings were held
on a more frequent basis, but the focus turned to an aggressive schedule for
the workgroups in 2004. Their work product and progress was reviewed at
each of the four regular Committee meetings. Significant progress was

realized on important policy issues with the intent of improving the child
support system for the citizens of Arizona.
Comment from the public was encouraged to assist the Committee’s efforts
to continually improve Arizona’s child support system.

TASKS AND OBJECTIVES
Listed below is a description of the major activities by Committee
workgroups.
Guidelines Workgroup
The Guidelines Workgroup, chaired by Judge Mark Armstrong, did not meet
in 2004, but its recommendations for improvements to Arizona’s Child
Support Guidelines as directed by A.R.S. § 25-323.01 were approved and
adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court in 2004. The new guidelines will go
into effect on January 1, 2005.
An interim workgroup will begin studying the underlying economic
estimates of the child support guidelines in 2005. Committee co-chairs
appointed Judge Monica Stauffer and Kim Gillespie to co-chair the
workgroup.
Strategic Planning Workgroup
In 2003, the Strategic Planning Workgroup, led by Chairman Chuck Shipley,
developed a comprehensive strategic plan that was presented to and adopted
by the Committee in 2004. The workgroup, having completed its task, was
disbanded and three new workgroups, Child Support Solutions, Funding &
Automation, and Public Outreach/Customer Service, were formed to carry
out the initiatives adopted by the Committee. The initiatives focus on
improving the child support system for families involved in the child support
system, regardless of whether they are designated as a IV-D or a non-IV-D
case.

Child Support Solutions Workgroup
Co-chaired by Michael Jeanes and Leona Hodges, the new workgroup
examined and analyzed current processes in the child support system from
the beginning to the end of a case in an effort to identify gaps and
deficiencies in the system. Child support cases progress through several
entities during their life and this group’s mission is to make
recommendations to the Committee for making the transition between those
entities as seamless as possible in order to provide families with excellent
customer service.
Funding & Automation Workgroup
Kim Gillespie was appointed by Committee co-chairs to chair this new
workgroup. The group was tasked with making recommendations to the
Committee in two areas: (1) opportunities to increase funding for the
Division of Child Support Enforcement, and (2) the possibility of moving
part of the statewide child support automation system from a mainframe to a
web-based system. Before the workgroup held its first meeting, the Division
of Child Support Enforcement introduced a new website designed to
enhance customer service. The new service allows child support customers
access to their case and payment history information in addition to
applicable forms, pamphlets, FAQs and other useful information.
In light of this significant advancement, the workgroup turned its attention to
studying development of a web-based arrears calculator. In Arizona, arrears
calculations are performed by hand and are subject to error, highlighting the
need for a consistent tool to be made available statewide. The workgroup
researched various methods that could be used to build and fund the
calculator. A legislative proposal to be introduced in the 2005 legislative
session will be sponsored by Representative Hershberger requesting an
appropriation to fund the project.
The group will forge ahead in 2005 with this important project that is
designed to make the process more cost and time efficient for parents, the
courts, lawyers and the state child support agency.
Public Outreach/Customer Service Workgroup

Chuck Shipley was appointed by Committee co-chairs to chair the Public
Outreach/Customer Service Workgroup. The group was tasked with making
recommendations for methods to inform the public about the state child
support program and other assistance provided by the courts and other public
and private agencies and to help families who are already involved in the
system to navigate the system more easily.
The group met several times to assemble an informational brochure
containing statewide child support information and to look for avenues to
publicize that information.
Meetings will continue throughout the first half of 2005 at which time
recommendations will be presented to the Committee.
Statute Review Workgroup
The Statute Review Workgroup has functioned since 1997 to examine
particular statutes related to child support enforcement to identify
inconsistencies, lack of clarity, or unnecessary duplication and to
recommend improvements.
Chaired by Kim Gillespie, the group took a break during the 2004 legislative
session and began meeting in the summer to develop proposals for the 2005
session. The Committee approved and adopted two proposals that were
forwarded to the Legislature for the 2005 session.
Please see the following section below titled “Recommendations for
Legislative Action” for additional details about legislation proposed for
2005.
Recommendations for Legislative Action
The product of the Statute Review Workgroup and Funding & Automation
Workgroup resulted in three legislative proposals being recommended for
passage during the First Regular Session of the Forty-Seventh Legislature in
2005. Representative Peter Hershberger will sponsor the proposals.
Included in the 2005 legislative proposal are provisions that:
ƒ Narrow the scope of an existing law that allows child support to
continue past the age of majority in cases where a child is

disabled. The proposal would permit the court to order child
support past the age of majority for a disabled child only when
the child is unable to live independently and be self supporting.
The proposal further clarifies that the disability must have
occurred prior to the date of the petition or final decree.
ƒ Update terminology in paternity statutes, eliminate the option
for an oral answer to a paternity or maternity petition, allow the
court to order temporary child support pending judicial
determination of paternity if the respondent admits or does not
deny paternity in a written response to the court, allow the court
to enter a judgment of paternity or maternity if the respondent
does not file a response and allow the court to order either
parent to pay the actual costs of pregnancy, birth, genetic
testing and related costs.
ƒ Request an appropriation for a child support arrears calculator.

Other Issues before the Committee
Educational programs were presented to the Committee in an effort to
apprise members of various child support enforcement-related efforts around
the state and country. One such presentation provided an overview of the
Arizona Supreme Court’s endeavor to develop Rules of Procedure for
Domestic Relations Cases. The Rules of Civil Procedure are used in
domestic relations cases, including child support, but are not typically a
good fit for these types of cases. The Committee provided relevant input to
the Supreme Court’s committee in relation to the child support sections of
the proposed rules.
An informative presentation was made by the Division of Child Support
Enforcement to display their new customer service website that allows child
support customers to access information about their case, including payment
information. The Committee universally applauded the project’s success.

The Honorable Norman Davis provided information about a major initiative
undertaken by the Superior Court in Maricopa County that is intended to
make improvements to the Family Court. An independent consultant
analyzed and recommended changes to the system in an attempt to
streamline the process and make it less detrimental to families who are
already in crisis. The changes focus on early intervention to promote
settlement of all or most issues early in the case, thereby reducing the length
of time spent in the system and acrimony.
Future Actions
The Committee is committed to the continued exploration and development
of procedures and mechanisms to enhance the delivery of child support
services to the families and children of Arizona. New and existing
workgroups will continue to explore issues currently under discussion, new
issues that arise, and endeavor to increase public awareness of child support
issues. As chartered, the Committee will maintain its important role in
providing a forum for cooperative decision making and cohesive policy
development among all interested stakeholders in the child support
enforcement system.

APPENDIX TO
CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
2004 ANNUAL REPORT

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
PURPOSE
Pursuant to A.R.S. § 25-323.01, effective August 22, 2002, the Child
Support Committee was formed to:
Prepare an annual written report on its work, findings and
recommendations regarding child support guidelines,
enforcement and related issues to the Governor, President of the
Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief
Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court on or before December
31 of each year and provide a copy of the report to the
Secretary of State and the Director of the Arizona State Library,
Archives and Public Records.

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
Membership consists of the following members or their designees who have
knowledge of or experience in, child support enforcement and related issues:
• The Director of the Department of Economic Security or the
Director’s designee.
• The Assistant Director of the Division of Child Support
Enforcement of the Department of Economic Security.
• A Division or Section Chief from the Office of the Attorney
General who has knowledge of or experience in child support
enforcement and related issues and who is appointed by the
Attorney General.
• The Director of the Administrative Office of the Supreme Court.
• Two presiding judges from the Domestic Relations Division of the
Superior Court who are appointed by the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court. One judge shall be from an urban county and one
judge shall be from a rural county.
• A title IV-D Court Commissioner who is appointed by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
• A Clerk of the Superior Court who is appointed by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
• Two county attorneys who are appointed by the Director of the
Department of Economic Security from a county that is currently
contracting with the state to provide child support enforcement
services. One county attorney shall be from an urban county and
one county attorney shall be from a rural county.
• An Executive Assistant from the Office of the Governor who is
appointed by the Governor.
• One person knowledgeable in child support issues who is a
noncustodial parent and one person knowledgeable in child support

issues who is a custodial parent. The President of the Senate shall
appoint these members.
• One person knowledgeable in child support issues who is a
noncustodial parent and one person knowledgeable in child support
issues who is a custodial parent. The Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall appoint these members.
• One parent knowledgeable in child support issues who has joint
custody who is appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• One person from the Executive Committee of the Family Law
Section of the State Bar of Arizona who is appointed by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
• One person from the business community who is appointed jointly
by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
• Two members of the Senate from different political parties. The
President of the Senate shall appoint the members and designate
one of the members as co-chairperson.
• Two members of the House of Representatives from different
political parties. The Speaker of the House of Representatives
shall appoint the members and designate one of the members as
co-chairperson.

CHILD SUPPORT COMMITTEE
LIST OF MEMBERS
Co-Chair: Representative Peter Hershberger
Co-Chair: Senator James Waring
Honorable Manuel Alvarez
State Representative

Michelle Krstyen
County Attorney (Rural)

Honorable Norman Davis
Domestic Relations Judge (Urban)

Ezra Loring
Governor’s Office

Robert L. Barrasso
State Bar - Family Law Section

Suzanne Miles
Custodial Parent

Honorable Bill Brotherton
State Senator

David Norton
Noncustodial Parent

David K. Byers
Administrative Office of the Courts

Honorable Rhonda L. Repp
IV-D Commissioner

Charles DiGeronimo
Noncustodial Parent

Chuck Shipley
Business Representative

Kim Gillespie
Office of the Attorney General

Russell Smoldon
Joint Custodial Parent

Leona Hodges
Director, IV-D Agency

Honorable Monica Stauffer
Domestic Relations Judge (Rural)

Kym L. Hull
Custodial Parent

Bianca Varelas-Miller
(for John Clayton)
Director, Dept. of Economic Security

Honorable Michael Jeanes
Clerk of the Superior Court (Urban)

Prepared by Committee Staff:
Court Services Division - Court Programs Unit
Administrative Office of the Courts
Arizona Supreme Court
1501 West Washington, Suite 410
Phoenix, Arizona 85007