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Federal Child Support
Law Symbols Explained
The United States Code and Code of
Federal Regulations: U.S.C. & C.F.R.
The United States Code is a set of law books that house all the
laws enacted at the federal level. These laws are put into order by their
subject matter and then given titles and code numbers. This process is known as codification. The
code that child support laws are housed in is called “The Public Health and Welfare”
code and is numbered Title 42. Also in Title 42 is the Social Security
Act. Child Support is part IV-D of the
Social Security Act. That is why the
agencies that handle child support are often referred to as IV-D (“four-D”)
agencies.
The Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) is a codification
of the rules published by Executive departments and agencies of the Federal
Government. The part of the C.F.R. that
deals with child support is Title 45-Public Welfare. Chapter III of Title 45 is where the rules
for the Office of Child Support Enforcement- the agency responsible for the
collections of child support- are located.
This background
information should make understanding the laws and some of the language easier
to comprehend for those unfamiliar with legal research when reading through
this manual.
Child Support Laws
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