—
BALTIMORE — Interim Maryland Department of Human Resources Secretary Brian Wilbon recently honored 25 child support workers, including two from this area, during an event culminating Child Support Awareness month.
Among those cited are Bryan Leatherman of Allegany County and Tonya Kessell of Garrett County.
Child support workers play a vital role to ensure financial security to over 500,000 Maryland children who depend on child support for their financial well-being. These workers collected and distributed over $516 million in child support monies to almost 252,000 cases during fiscal year 2010.
"Because the work they do is so critical to so many, we are acknowledging staff whose performance and dedication reached the highest level of excellence’’" said Wilbon.
Child support plays a vital part in ensuring the well-being of so many of Maryland's children and enhances the stability of many single-parent households. These workers use various tools and technology to locate parents, establish paternity, and support orders, collect and disburse child support payments and collaborate with community organizations to provide employment services. On average, they worked with over 30,000 interstate cases, established paternity for 139,000 children born out of wedlock, and established support orders for 205,000 cases.
To ensure robust collections, child support workers use tools like cross-referencing data with other agencies, denying the issuance of passports, and intercepting lottery winnings and income tax returns when child support debt exists. In addition, they have strengthened collaboration with the business community, the judiciary, and other local and state government offices.
The honored workers were selected by their peers and represent every part of the state.
Local News
Allegany, Garrett child support officers cited
- Local News
-
-
School board to make case against Myers’ bill
State lawmakers should stay out of local school board business when it comes to deciding where children go to school when an out-of-county school is closer to home.
-
LOVE’S IN THE AIR
Barbershop quartet singers, from the left, Lisa Tompkins, Kevin McKenzie, Roger Anderson and Wendy Anderson perform at a Valentine luncheon at the Gordon-Roberts House on Washington Street Saturday. The group entertained those in attendance with love songs.
-
State reforms on board agenda
The Allegany County Board of Education will hear an update on state education reform efforts when it meets Tuesday night.Chief Academic Officer Janet Wilson is scheduled to speak about state reforms during a regular work session at 5 p.m.
-
Romney holds off Ron Paul, wins Maine
Mitt Romney narrowly won Maine’s Republican caucuses, state party officials announced Saturday, providing his campaign with a much-needed boost after three straight losses earlier this week. But the former Massachusetts governor won just a plurality of the Maine vote, suggesting he still has work to do to unite GOP voters behind his candidacy.
-
Learning experience
Todd Blowe walks with his son A.J., 4, as he learns to ride his bike Friday on North Centre Street in Cumberland.
-
Garrett lawmakers won’t pursue collective bargaining
Garrett County’s two lawmakers in Annapolis have decided not to pursue the Garrett County commissioners’ request to be granted legislative authority to mandate collective bargaining for County Roads Department employees.
-
Allegany County overflows noted
Due to precipitation and melting snow during the first two weeks of February, several combined sewer/stormwater overflows occurred in Allegany County.
-
Calling for end to violence
Frostburg State University students participated in the BURG Clothesline Project on Thursday at The Lane Center on The FSU campus.
-
Pennsylvania couple die minutes apart
James and Marjorie Landis of Westmont, Pa., were married and inseparable for 65 years. They died last week just 88 minutes apart.
-
AFSCME backs more changes to pensions for judges than commission recommends
The Judicial Compensation Commission is recommending practically no changes to judges’ pensions, except for an increase in contributions by new judges.
- More Local News Headlines
-
School board to make case against Myers’ bill
