The Texas Attorney General’s Office has found another way to punish parents who are not paying court ordered child support: blocking their vehicle registration renewal.
The Attorney General’s Child Support Division plans to employ the new policy beginning this fall against parents who haven’t paid child support for at least six months. The attorney general’s office is already able to revoke driver’s, professional or recreational licenses of evaders, but the agency said adding vehicle registration should shore up compliance.
The new policy will apply to vehicle registrations up for renewal beginning in December. Those Texans with at least six months in unpaid child support payments can expect to learn about the potential roadblock in September in their standard three-month renewal notice. Parents will also receive a letter from the Child Support Division ahead of their vehicle registration’s expiration date with information about steps they can take to remove the hold on their renewal.
The policy only applies to vehicle registration renewals. Individuals who would be denied renewal under the new policy will be able to register a new vehicle.