Ryan: My office would need more money (fwd)
P. Myers (mpwr@u.washington.edu)
Tue, 13 Jan 1998 20:25:43 -0800 (PST)
Here, an example of the *real "poverty pimp"--the caseworkers need not be,
if they have experienced the difficulties of their clients...this could at
best, be a peer-advocacy...of course, it won't; in practice it will be
more administrative discretion by a group of folks who have never learned
the deadly damage that unreflective authority can have on it's recipients.
But at best, a system *can work, with peer advocacy (paid) to impelement
and model for other agencies, the value of acting as resource;
client-centered and led, and functioning in those ways that the clients
request.
But that won't happen...hu-uh...too bad.
pat myers
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 16:51:57 PST
From: UPI / KRIS KUDENHOLDT <C-upi@clari.net>
Newsgroups: clari.usa.gov.state+local, clari.local.illinois.misc,
clari.usa.gov.politics, clari.usa.gov.policy.social,
clari.usa.gov.general
Subject: Ryan: My office would need more money
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan
has told a state legislative panel he would need a significant increase
in money and staffers if delinquent child support collections becomes
his responsibility.
Ryan said today he would need at least 1,300 additional staffers and
roughly $146 million if a bill, already approved by the House, becomes
law. Ryan said those figures are what the Illinois Department of Public
Aid has determined those efforts would cost.
Currently, Ryan's office has a staff of about 720 people with a
budget of $40 million.
The issue came up during a review of Ryan's office by the Legislative
Audit Commission.
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, asked about an Illinois
auditor general's finding that Ryan's office had not been able to
collect millions owed to the asbestos abatement fund.
Ryan explained to the commission he only expects to collect about $3
million of the $20 million owed because some debtors had gone to
bankruptcy court.
``I guess the reason I ask that is because now the state's largest
collection enforcement job is going to fall on the office of the
attorney general in the (matter) of child support,'' said Mautino,
noting the implications of the bill.
``Our current infrastructure of our office would not be capable of
handling that,'' Ryan said. ``I think we've done a good job of
collecting on bad debts.''
Currently, about $1.5 billion is owed in child support that is more
than 30 days late. During the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997, $296
million was collected.
---
Copyright 1998 by United Press International.
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