January 2024 NCSEA CSQ

speaking on behalf of the whole child support program at such an
important hearing, the warm support from colleagues before and after the
hearing was amazing. And there may have been an under-the-table fist
bump at one point.
How nervous I was that day is definitely at the top. After that was
the outpouring of well wishes and support I received before the
hearing. Then, there were the congratulatory emails after. I know
we talk about the community and teamwork there is within our small
world of child support, but it is so very true. The level of support I
received and the kindness that was extended, before, during, and
after… all I can say is thank you! It truly meant more to me than any of
you will ever know. On a personal note, I learned that testifying before
Congress was a bucket list item I never knew I had.
What a great job Jim Fleming, Bryan Tribble, Vicki Turetsky, and
Marley Corbine did. I felt there was no congressional
representative who was objecting to fixing the need for Direct
Federal Tax Offset for Tribal Child Support Programs or to the clarifying
of Contractor language for States and Tribes. I felt several of the
Congressional Representatives and their staff who I talked to were
sincere in their efforts going forward to get this done.
Do you think the hearing was effective? What would make it a
successful hearing?
Yes, from the responses and body language of the
subcommittee members, it seemed clear that they were learning
helpful information and saw a problem they wanted to fix. What
would make it a successful hearing? Just the attention to the issue and
having each subcommittee member speak on the record in favor of
strengthening the child support program and fixing the tribal parity and
contractor issues.
I feel that it was very effective. Our role was to succinctly provide
information and details to lawmakers who are in a position to
provide our programs and the families we serve with a remedy
for the current issue that would seriously and negatively impact so
many. What would make it a successful hearing? Ultimately, the