Treasurer McRae applauds Legislature for permitting mother or father’s unclaimed cash to fulfill little one help money owed | Mississippi Politics and Information

Treasurer commits to implement this policy as soon as possible.

During the 2022 Mississippi Legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2319. Authored by State Senator Walter Michel (R), the legislation will allow the State Treasury to coordinate with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to use a parent’s unclaimed money to pay child support debts.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the bill into law this week.

The bill would authorize DHS to collaborate with the State Treasurer to intercept unclaimed property to satisfy a child support arrearage.

It will also require the Treasurer to cooperate with DHS to determine if a claimant of unclaimed property owes a child support arrearage and requires the Treasurer to transfer to DHS any portion of claim to satisfy the child support arrearage.

State Treasurer David McRae (R) applauded the Mississippi Legislature on Thursday for allowing the State Treasury to take this action. The Treasurer also announced he has instructed his team to prioritize these returns to ensure children receive the money as quickly as possible.

“I look forward to working with the Department of Human Services to make certain more Mississippi children receive the money that is rightfully theirs. Moreover, I have instructed my team to implement this policy as quickly as possible. We must always put our children first, and in passing this bill, the state legislature did exactly that,” McRae said.

Treasurer McRae added that when a parent fails to pay their child support, young people lose out on necessary care and opportunities to grow.