Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act
Public Law 103-383 · S. 922 · 103rd Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 20, 1994 · Law
Sponsor: Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL)
Cosponsors (4): Sen. Carl Levin, Sen. Richard Shelby,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to require the appropriate authority of each State to enforce according to its terms a child support order made by a court of another State, provided that the court had subject matter jurisdiction to hear the matter and enter such an order and personal jurisdiction over the contestants and that the contestants were given reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard. Prohibits such an authority from seeking or making a modification of such an order unless the authority has jurisdiction to make such a child support order and: (1) the court of the issuing State no longer has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction of the order because it no longer is the child's State or the residence of any contestant; or (2) each contestant has filed written consent to that authority making the modification and assuming continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over the order. Permits a State court that no longer has continuing jurisdiction over such orders to enforce prior orders with respect to unsatisfied obligations.
Requires that the forum State's law apply in a proceeding to establish, modify, or enforce a child support order, except that in: (1) interpreting a child support order, a court shall apply the law of the State of the court that issued the order; and (2) an action to enforce a child support order, a court shall apply the statute of limitation of the forum State or the State of the court that issued the order, whichever statute provides the longer period of limitation.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Youth Violence Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Oct 20, 1994Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 103-383.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 13, 1994PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 5, 1994FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- Oct 4, 1994FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Walker objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed until Oct. 5. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Brooks moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 27, 1994FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Aug 25, 1994CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 11, 1994CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 24, 1993CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Youth Violence Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 6, 1993CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.