JEFFERSON CITY — Today, a measure sponsored by Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, to provide greater efficiency when handling administrative child support orders was approved by the Legislature and sent to the governor for his signature. The bill was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers in the Missouri Senate and House.

Senate Bill 69 would grant authority to administrative hearing officers from the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) to set aside or correct administrative child support decisions or orders and proposed administrative modifications of a judicial order. Senator Keaveny’s bill also specifies the conditions and timeframe under which corrections to orders and decisions can be made due to a mistake, fraud, misrepresentation, and other situations.

Senator Keaveny notes that errors found in child support cases are infrequent. According to DSS, during FY 2011, the department issued 11,863 child support decisions, and during that same time period, had 111 scrivener’s errors (incorrect dates of birth or Social Security numbers). These types of errors would be corrected under SB 69.“The well-being of Missouri children is a top priority, and by allowing professionals to correct certain errors in child support cases, rather than needing to send those cases back to court, we can handle important matters about Missouri families in a more efficient manner,” Sen. Keaveny said.

During the 2012 legislative session, Sen. Keaveny sponsored a similar measure (SB 739) that was supported in both chambers; however, a compromise could not be reached when the bill was in conference committee and the legislation did not reach the governor’s desk.

If signed by the governor, SB 69 would take effect on Aug. 28. The last day of the 2013 legislative session is Friday, May 17. For more information on SB 69 and other bills moving through the Legislature, visit the Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov.