The bill amends Section 40-5.2-35 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-5.2, known as "The Rhode Island Works Program," to increase the child support pass-through payments for families receiving cash assistance. Specifically, it raises the amount that families can receive from child support payments collected by the Department of Human Services. The new provisions state that for a noncustodial parent making timely child support payments, the first one hundred dollars ($100) for one child or two hundred dollars ($200) for more than one child will be passed through to the family. This replaces the previous threshold of fifty dollars ($50).

Additionally, the bill stipulates that if multiple noncustodial parents are making payments for children living in the same household, only one pass-through payment will be made to the family, adhering to the new amounts. The pass-through payment is required to be sent to the family within two business days of the determination of the amount due and must be completed no later than two business days after the end of the month in which the support was collected. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
7690: 40-5.2-35