Parents behind on child support in Texas won't be able to renew car registration

(FOX 11) - If you owe child support in Texas, you won't be able to renew your car registration.

Effective in December, anyone who misses child support payments for six consecutive months will have to resume payments before they're able to renew their vehicle registration.

"We're going to use every tool that we can to collect support that is due to children and families, and that's why this initiative is being pursued," Janece Rolfe, a spokeswoman for the Child Support Division, told the Houston Chronicle.

The Texas Attorney General's Office can already revoke an evader's driver's license, as well as professional or recreational licenses. The new plan just takes it a step further.

Critics argue the plan will make it even harder for some parents to work and earn money for delinquent payments. Others said they want to see the existing policy better enforced.

Texas' Child Support Division ranked first in the nation last year for collecting more than $3.8 billion in child support.

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