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From Policy to Practice: How States Limit Driver’s License Suspension for Low-Income Noncustodial Parents

Driver's license suspension is one of the most frequently used child support enforcement tools. Drawing on a 2026 CPR national survey of state child support directors, FRPN’s Jacque Whearty and Jessica Pearson conducted follow-up interviews with the directors or other leaders in six states — California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin — that have developed statewide policies to limit driver's license suspension for low-income noncustodial parents (NCPs).

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The $154 Billion Man: The Economic Argument for Investing in Fathers

Authored by National Fatherhood Initiative® and the Center for Policy Research, this report updates NFI’s landmark 2006 study by examining federal spending associated with father-absent households. Using federal budget data and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the report finds that in 2018 the U.S. spent $154.2 billion—about 4% of the federal budget—across 14 major assistance programs supporting children and mothers in father-absent households, a 54.5% increase since 2006.

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How will the One Big Beautiful Bill Act affect fathers’ access to public benefits?

Find out what to expect with this new legislation in a brief authored by Jacqueline Whearty and Rachel Wildfeuer.

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