LAW TOUGHENS PENALTIES FOR DEAD-BEAT PARENTS

A new state law gets tough with parents who don't pay child support. It's good news for at least 500,000 Missouri children who are owed financial support. The law forces parents to make good on their legal duty to support their kids.

Tougher penalties should provide a greater incentive to non-custodial parents who have been ordered to pay because of divorce, paternity lawsuit or separation. If a parent fails to make payments in any six of 12 months or falls behind $5,000 or more, they can be charged with a felony. All non-payment violations used to be misdemeanors, no matter the amount.

Needless to say a Class-D felony charge carries harsher penalties. Offenders face up to five years in prison. This felony option should garner more cooperation from parents and from law enforcement, in extraditing non-payers from one jurisdiction to another. The law also allows for the prosecution of criminal nonsupport until the child turns 18.

Lack of child support racks up big numbers in Missouri. State officials estimate that more than $750 million in court-ordered payments is owed to Missouri children over the last decade.

The new law also requires parents to provide medical insurance for their children. For parents who refuse to pay, the state can order medical premium payments through paycheck withholdings. The law also adds a checkoff box on state income tax withholdings to indicate whether the person owes child support. This aids the government in tracking down parents who continually change jobs.

This tougher law sends a strong message to both parents and parents-to-be. In Missouri, bringing a child into this world carries certain legal responsibilities, including financial support. An unwanted child simply can't be forgotten. Legally, this financial commitment stretches 18 years, and this new law helps ensure parents meet that obligation. In other words, careless sex could very well result in a long-term financial commitment. It's something to think about.

Missouri is not unique in its child support problems. This new law brings the state into compliance with a federal mandate on child support. All changes will become effective for court orders of child support payments entered or modified after Jan. 1, except for the health insurance change, which takes effect immediately. More reforms from the federal government may be coming down the pike. The Clinton administration is considering experiments with government-guaranteed child support payments as part of welfare reform.

This new Missouri law sends a stern message to deadbeat parents: Pay up or face jail time. These changes should go a long way to help reduce the millions of dollars in unpaid child support.