The Bradley Amendment was named after its sponsor, Democratic Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, and was passed as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. The Bradley Amendment prohibits the retroactive modification of child support arrearages by the state or any other state.
No matter the circumstances, a child-support debt cannot be retroactively reduced or forgiven even if the debtor is unemployed. The same applies if the person is hospitalized, in prison, sent to war, proved not to be the father, never allowed to see his children, or loses his job, or suffers a pay cut.
Show Notes:
Petitioning the Government to Erase State-Owed Child Support Debt
NBC News. (2015, April 11). Walter Scott had bench warrant for his arrest, court documents show. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/walter-scott-shooting/walter-scott-shooting-warrant-over-child-support-court-records-show-n339151
Washington, D. (2020, December 16). 6 penalties for parents who fail to pay child support. The Balance Small Business. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/failure-to-pay-child-support-penalties-2997972
Weimer, D. R. (2000, July 27). The Bradley amendment: Prohibition against retroactive modification of child support arrearages. Every CRS Report – EveryCRSReport.com. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20642.html
Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast.
He's an alumnus of Howard University and is the drummer for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times Of The Temptations.
Other musicals include: "Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.
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PODCAST - Episode 16 - Repeal The Bradley Amendment!