SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County state senator filed a bill that would lower the interest rate for overdue child support payments.

Senate Bill 629 would drop the interest rate from 6% to 3%. The bill was filed by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D – Bexar County).

In an analysis, she said, in part, “lowering interest rates would make repayments more achievable, encouraging consistent payment behavior, especially among low-income earners.”

“We’ll get more payments because the payments are more affordable,” Zaffirini said during a committee meeting this session.

She’s gotten some support. Quentin Riser, an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke in favor of the bill.

“This is not about letting anyone off the hook,” Riser said. “It’s about making repayment possible.”

But this bill has had backlash. John Gabriel, a senior visiting judge, wrote a letter to Sen. Zaffirini’s office in opposition.

“I didn’t think it was good policy, so I wanted to let her know,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel said he did not get a response.

Steven Sinkin, an attorney who specializes in the collection of past-due child support for all ages, said he was shocked to read the bill.

“It’s lowering the consequence, lowering the incentive, lowering and the protection for the women and children of the state,” Sinkin said. “Who are we helping? It is really incomprehensible.”

One of Sinkin’s clients is Veronica Posada. She’s working to collect child support from the father of her children and from her own dad, who didn’t pay her mother for years. She’s able to do this because there aren’t time limits for this kind of collection in Texas.

“I can’t understand their logic,” Posada said, talking about the bill. “You have families out there like mine. For 25 years, we didn’t collect child support because he thought it wasn’t necessary.”

She’s not the only San Antonio mom with concerns.

Josie Schlather it’s “a burden to fight, and it’s a burden not to fight.”

“There’s no loan that you can get that‘s 3% and it’s principal first,” Schlather said. “I have a daughter, and I have sons who witness all of this behavior. When you have obligations, you meet them and you honor them and you don’t get away with something because you can.”

KSAT reached out to Zaffirini for an interview, but she was unable to accommodate before the deadline.

“The rationale for filing my Senate Bill 629 is twofold: Representatives of the Office of the Attorney General requested the change, and national data, particularly from Wisconsin, show it works,” Zaffirini said in a statement, in part. “By making repayment more realistic, my bill would help more Texas families receive the support they deserve.”

KSAT reached out to the AG‘s office. A spokesperson said, “the OAG provides assistance strictly as a resource to all legislators and at no time should this be viewed as supporting or opposing specific legislation on any matter.”

The companion bill of SB 629 is HB 4213. It passed through to the Senate with an amendment. Instead of the proposed 3% interest rate, it says “the interest rate determined under Section 304.003, Finance Code.” KSAT is told that’s a higher rate than 6%.

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