Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed legislation (S.6388/A.7788) extending the driver license suspension process for two years to further enforce child support obligations.

The child support program to identify parents with a driver’s license who fail to pay child support and then notify them that their driving privileges will be suspended unless child support payments are made.

The legislation extends the enforcement mechanism through Aug. 31, 2021.

“Child support is critical to ensuring kids of separated parents have the resources they need for a healthy and stable upbringing,” Cuomo said. “By extending this measure, we will help hold accountable any adult who fails to meet this basic obligation by suspending their driver’s license until they step up and address the problem.”

Assemblymen Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, and Joe Giglio, R-Gowanda, joined the rest of their Assembly colleagues in supporting the legislation, which passed the Assembly 139-0. Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, R-Ballston, said she was in favor of the legislation, but said she is also working on legislation that would give a judge additional discretion in such cases so that someone behind on their child support can still get to and from work.

“That’s lacking right now and while I do support getting people’s attention by maybe suspending their driving privileges in the short-term, I think that in the long-term, if somebody does have a job and wants to come current, I think that the judges should have the discretion to issue a conditional license, like we do with drinking and driving offenses,” she said. “So, I do vote in the affirmative, but I wanted to give a little teaser of I think a good piece of legislation which would help in this area of the law.”