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Martinez Announces 2015 Bench Warrant Sweep Collects More Than $150,000 in Child Support

Office of the Governor

  For the fourth year in a row, Governor Susana Martinez announced the success of New Mexico’s annual child support bench warrant round up. This year’s program collected more than $150,000 in unpaid child support.

“The bench warrant round up is an invaluable tool in standing up for New Mexico’s children,” said Governor Martinez. “The round up delivers real, meaningful results for children and families, and it sends a clear message that if parents don’t fulfill their financial obligations to their kids, law enforcement will hold them accountable.”

This year’s bench warrant round up led to 110 arrests, with a total of $76,809.47 collected so far. The bench warrant amnesty period led to the collection of $73,474.90 from 183 non-custodial parents. The total amount of child support collected from the round up so far, combined with collections from the amnesty period, is more than $150,284.37.

The New Mexico Human Services Department’s (HSD) Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) and local law enforcement partners across the state acted on more than 550 child support warrants during this year’s round up.

During Fiscal Year 2015, CSED set yet another record in child support collections with a total of $140.1 million. Each of the past four fiscal years, New Mexico has broken state records for child support collections, with CSED collecting $137.1 million in FY 2014, $132.2 million in FY 2013, and $129.6 million in FY 2012. Thanks to programs like the bench warrant amnesty and round up period, New Mexico was recognized by the National Child Support Enforcement Association in2012as the nation’s most improved.

In conjunction with the bench warrant amnesty and round up period, Governor Martinez proclaimed August 2015 to be Child Support Awareness Month to recognize New Mexico parents who support their children, and encourage all parents to take responsibility for improving the economic and social well-being of their children. The Governor’s proclamation is available online here.