Attorney General Brian Schwalb introduced the Child Support Improvement Amendment Act of 2026, a sweeping proposal aimed at dismantling what advocates describe as a cost-recovery child support system that has long shortchanged D.C. children most in need. “Dollars paid for child support should go directly to supporting kids — not to covering the cost of government collection operations,” Schwalb said in a statement. With the current framework, child support for TANF families operates largely as a debt-collection model. “These reforms refocus our child support system on what truly matters — supporting children,” said Vikram Swaruup, executive director of Legal Aid DC. The legislation would require that all current child support collected for families receiving TANF be paid directly to those families, removing the long-standing monthly cap.