Our Legislature has NO ethics.

They certainly we willing to be 'brave' to pass legislation helping out their own self-interests, but where were they when it came to doing their duty and serving the interests of their constituents?

So they haven't had a pay raise in decades, big deal.

HB494 by Hines updated the Child Support tables per the 4 year review. Unfortunately, the major proposed reform by the Child Support Review committee was left on the House committee room floor.

As passed, the bill is unconscionable and unconstitutional.

The Louisiana Child Support Tables have an amount built into them to ensure that the paying parent has enough money to live on at the Federal Poverty Level. This amount is called the "Self Support Reserve".

Well, this amount has not been updated since 1991!

The amount of the Self Support Reserve is $551/month of GROSS income.

When the law was first passed, this amount was the Federal Poverty Level for a single person in 1991.

Every 4 years, the economists have proposed that this amount be increased. And every 4 years, the legislature chickens out.

This year, somebody arm twisted the economist and got her to renounce her own proposal in the house floor. This was to give them 'cover'. So once again the child support tables in the lower income range remain unchanged.

This puts our child support collection people and our judges in a bad position.

The child support people are obligated to try to collect money in violation of federal laws. The judges are obligated to convict them as felons for being poor and unable to pay.

The SSR number is now only about 64% of Federal Poverty Level for a single person.

But wait, it gets worse.

Because the "Self Support Reserve" is built into the table. And because the judges are required to add on 'extra-ordinary expenses' for health insurance and day care, the SSR number is easily violated. A careless or corrupt court can easily order child support amounts that consume an entire parents income.

To further compound matters, our legislature also passed HB339. This bill allows 'special expenses' to be added on to the child support order for social events.

These extra expenses are poorly defined and have no limits placed on them. There is no cap on the maximum amount of a persons income that can be ordered.

In essence, a both parents right to life are in danger every time they go before a custody judge in this state.

Because any careless application of these egregious, unconscionable, unconstitutional, unethical, amoral laws must be immediately obeyed or that person becomes a felon.

WE NEED REFORM IN THIS STATE.