Legal Definitions - Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act

The Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act (DPPA) is a federal law enacted in 1998 that strengthens the enforcement of child support orders across state lines. It makes it a serious federal crime, a felony, for a parent to intentionally avoid paying child support under specific circumstances, particularly when their actions involve crossing state borders.

Under the DPPA, an individual can face felony charges and potentially up to two years in federal prison if:

• They travel from one state to another with the specific intention of evading a child support obligation that is either more than $5,000 or has been unpaid for over one year.
• They willfully fail to pay child support for a child living in a different state, and that unpaid obligation is either greater than $10,000 or has been outstanding for more than two years.

This law was designed to address situations where parents attempt to escape their financial responsibilities by moving or hiding across state lines, making it more difficult for state-level enforcement agencies to track them down and collect owed support.

Here are some examples illustrating how the DPPA might apply:

• Example 1: Intentional Evasion by Crossing State Lines
  Scenario: Maria owes $7,500 in child support to her ex-husband and children in Ohio. When she receives a final notice that her wages will be garnished, she quits her job, sells her car, and moves to Kentucky, telling a friend she's doing it to "disappear and avoid those payments." She then takes a cash-paying job to avoid detection by child support authorities.
  Explanation: This situation falls under the DPPA because Maria crossed state lines (from Ohio to Kentucky) with the clear intent to evade a child support obligation that exceeded $5,000.
• Example 2: Willful Failure to Pay for a Child in Another State (Large Amount)
  Scenario: John lives in Arizona, and his two children live with their mother in New Mexico. John has a court order to pay $600 per month in child support. Over the past two and a half years, he has intentionally failed to make any payments, accumulating an unpaid balance of $18,000. He has the financial means to pay but has consistently refused, despite repeated enforcement attempts by New Mexico authorities.
  Explanation: This illustrates the DPPA because John willfully failed to pay child support for children living in a different state (Arizona and New Mexico), and the unpaid obligation is greater than $10,000 and has been outstanding for more than two years.
• Example 3: Evasion of Long-Unpaid Support by Moving
  Scenario: Samantha lives in North Carolina and owes child support for her son in South Carolina. She hasn't made a payment in 15 months, and the total amount due is currently $4,800. When she learns that a warrant has been issued for her arrest in North Carolina due to the unpaid support, she immediately moves to Virginia, believing she can avoid the legal consequences by establishing residency in a new state.
  Explanation: Even though the amount ($4,800) is slightly less than $5,000, Samantha crossed state lines (from North Carolina to Virginia) with the intent to evade a child support obligation that has remained unpaid for longer than one year (15 months), which is one of the conditions for a felony under the DPPA.