These provisions would implement the Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and any other multilateral agreement to which the United States is a party. On August 30, 2016, President Obama signed the instrument of ratification for the Convention. On September 7, 2016, the United States deposited its instrument of ratification with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the depository for the Convention. P.L. P.L. Summary of the Convention

The Convention contains procedures for processing international child support cases that are intended to be uniform, simple, efficient, accessible, and cost-free to U.S. citizens seeking child support in other countries. For many international cases, U.S. courts and state CSE agencies already recognize and enforce child support obligations, whether or not the United States has a reciprocal agreement with the other country. However, many foreign countries will not enforce U.S. child support orders in the absence of a treaty obligation. History and Current Status of the Convention

On November 23, 2007, after four years of deliberation, the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance was adopted at the conclusion of the Twenty-First Diplomatic Session of The Hague Conference on Private International Law at The Hague, The Netherlands. The United States delegation was the first country to sign the Convention. In the United States, a treaty must be consented to by the Senate. On September 29, 2010, the Senate approved the Resolution of Advice and Consent regarding the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. H.R. 4980 was passed by the House on July 23, 2014, by a voice vote. It was passed by the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on September 18, 2014. 4980 was enacted into law on September 29, 2014, as P.L. Once the treaty is in force, it will apply to cases being worked between countries that are party to it. 113-183, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 113-183 includes provisions that would implement the Convention. It will only apply to cases where the custodial parent and child live in one country and the noncustodial parent lives in another country. 113-183 gives other countries participating in the Convention access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS). 113-183 amends federal law so that the federal income tax refund offset program is available for use by a state to handle CSE requests from foreign reciprocating countries and foreign treaty countries. 113-183 amends Section 466(f) of the SSA to read as follows: "In order to satisfy Section 454(2)(A), each State must have in effect the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, as approved by the American Bar Association on February 9, 1993, including any amendments officially adopted as of September 30, 2008 by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws." In addition, P.L.
The Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (the Convention) was adopted at the Hague Conference on Private International Law on November 23, 2007. The Convention contains procedures for processing international child support cases that are intended to be uniform, simple, efficient, accessible, and cost-free to U.S. citizens seeking child support in other countries. The United States was the first country to sign the Convention. For many international cases, U.S. courts and state Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies already recognize and enforce child support obligations, whether or not the United States has a reciprocal agreement with the other country. However, many foreign countries will not enforce U.S. child support orders in the absence of a treaty obligation.
On August 30, 2016, President Obama signed the instrument of ratification for the Convention. On September 7, 2016, the United States deposited its instrument of ratification with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the depository for the Convention. Thirty-three other countries, including the European Union, have also ratified the Convention.
Although it is not the Senate's role to ratify treaties, it provides its advice and consent to a treaty's provisions. On September 29, 2010, the U.S. Senate approved the Resolution of Advice and Consent regarding the Convention.
Implementing legislation for the Convention was included in the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 4980), which was enacted into law on September 29, 2014, as P.L. 113-183. H.R. 4980 was passed by the House on July 23, 2014 (by voice vote under suspension of the rules), and by the Senate on September 18, 2014 (by unanimous consent). P.L. 113-183 included provisions that would implement the Convention. Specifically, it contains several provisions related to the international enforcement of child support orders. It contains provisions designed to improve child support collections in cases where the custodial parent and child live in one country and the noncustodial parent lives in another country. It ensures that the United States is compliant with the Convention and any other multilateral child support enforcement treaty and requires states to update their Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) law to incorporate any amendments adopted as of September 2008 by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Additionally, P.L. 113-183 facilitates greater access to the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) by foreign countries and tribal governments as part of improving child support collections. P.L. 113-183 also allows the federal income tax refund offset program to be available for use by a state to handle CSE requests from foreign reciprocating countries and foreign treaty countries.
Once the Convention is in force (January 1, 2017) it would apply to cases being worked between countries that are party to it (currently 34 countries, including the United States and the European Union).