The California Reparations Task Force issued its final report at the end of June, in which it has asked the Democrat-controlled state legislature stop charging interest on overdue child support payments and forgive any interest debt the non-paying parents have accrued.
The task force, a nine-member panel that Gov. Gavin Newsom assembled in 2020, was created to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans.
California’s highly anticipated reparations report proposes more than 100 statewide policies to address generations of discrimination and racial disparities.
Here are the key takeaways from the report: https://t.co/XNCeP6p18e
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 2, 2023
In their nearly 1,100 page report, the California Reparations Task Force determined that a disproportionate number of African Americans are burdened with child support debt, owing to “discriminatory federal and [state] laws” that “have torn African American families apart.”
Since California charges 10 percent interest on back child support payments, “a disproportionate number of African American parents are saddled with crushing debt that hinders their ability to attend school or job training, maintain housing, and find employment if their professional licenses and/or driver’s licenses have been suspended because of the failure to pay child support debt,” the report stated.
The report also notes that, despite making up less than seven percent of California’s population, African Americans account for 18 percent of parents with child support debt.
To address this, the task force has requested the California Legislature to enact a law that would terminate all interest accrued on back child support payments, requiring only the payment of the principal owed. The task force also called on the legislature to amend Family Code section 17560 “to allow for offers in compromise and forgiveness of child support debt based solely on a parent’s financial circumstances and ability to pay.” (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Breaks Silence On California’s Reparations Plan)
The task force’s finding will go before the California legislature, where state officials will determine what, if any, of the task force’s recommendations will become law, NBC News reported.