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SB 984

Work Training/Delinquent Child Support.

2025-2026 Session

Allows courts to require delinquent child support violators to engage in job search or six-month work-specific training as a contempt condition, with monitoring and $50/month suppo

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Bill Summary · SB 984

Summary of North Carolina Senate Bill 984 (2025 Session)

Title

Work Training/Delinquent Child Support

Purpose and Intent

SB 984 proposes an alternative remedy to incarceration for individuals deemed delinquent on child support. The bill authorizes a judge to impose a work search or work-related training requirement as a special condition of a contempt order for nonpayment, with structured progress monitoring and specific requirements. The overarching aim is to use employment-focused activities to address delinquency in child support payments rather than defaulting to imprisonment.

Key Provisions

  • Contempt and Special Conditions (G.S. 50-13.4(f))

    • Maintains existing enforcement options for child support (civil contempt and, if disobedience continues, criminal contempt).
    • Allows, as a special condition of a contempt order, the court to require the delinquent individual to participate in:
    • Job search activities, or
    • Work-specific education/training.
    • If the court selects work-specific training, progress must be reviewed at least every 30 days unless the person is enrolled and actively participating in work-specific training.
    • The duration of enrollment in work-specific training shall not exceed six months.
    • Mandates the following participant requirements:
    • Pay at least $50 per month toward child support.
    • Notify the court upon completion of work-specific training.
    • Notify the court within 14 days if the person fails to meet attendance requirements of the training.

  • Funding for Program Implementation (Section 2)

    • Allocates $3,000,000 in nonrecurring General Fund appropriations for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
    • Funds are designated for the Community Colleges System Office to distribute to applicable community colleges.
    • Purpose: defray costs associated with work-specific training for program participants.

  • Effective Date (Section 3)

    • The act becomes effective when it becomes law.

What Would Change (Impact)

  • Judicial Process

    • Courts would have an explicit option to place delinquent custodial/noncustodial parents into a structured work search or work-related training program as part of contempt proceedings, rather than proceeding immediately to other punitive measures.

  • Participant Responsibilities

    • Individuals subject to this option must engage in either job-seeking activities or a defined training program.
    • Enforced progress checks (every 30 days minimum) and a six-month cap on training enrollment, barring active participation in ongoing work-specific training beyond that period.
    • Financial obligation continues: minimum $50/month toward current child support regardless of training status.
    • Clear reporting requirements to the court on completion or failure to meet attendance.

  • Support System Funding

    • Additional state investment to support program delivery through community colleges, enabling the work-related training component (nonrecurring funds for one fiscal year).

Who Is Affected

  • Parties in Delinquent Child Support Cases

    • Individuals adjudicated in contempt related to child support with potential for the new special condition.
    • Court systems implementing contempt orders with work-related requirements.

  • Community Colleges

    • Receivers of state funds to implement and run work-specific training and related services for program participants.

  • Judicial and Administrative Entities

    • Courts must monitor and enforce progress, attendance, and reporting under the new work-training special condition.

Timeline and Procedure

  • Progress Monitoring
    • 30-day progress reviews are required at minimum, with more frequent oversight if the participant is actively enrolled in training.
  • Training Duration
    • Up to six months of work-specific training per participant, subject to active participation.
  • Reports and Notifications
    • Participants must notify the court upon training completion and within 14 days of any attendance failure.
  • Funding Period
    • Funds are appropriated for the 2026-2027 fiscal year; however, the bill does not specify continuation beyond that period.

Notable Details

  • The bill preserves existing contempt structure but introduces a tailored rehabilitation-oriented remedy aimed at improving employment and ongoing child support payments.
  • The $3 million nonrecurring appropriation indicates a one-time investment to establish or expand the work-training mechanism through community colleges.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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