HELP CHANGE CHILD SUPPORT LAWS IN OREGON FOR MEN

I wanted to make a change for the State of Oregon, in regards to the requirement to continue to support children that are over the age 18 and under 21 that are attending school; see ORS 107.108 support or maintenance for child attending school. This law states that if you are paying child support you are still required to support the child while they attend school until they reach the age of 21. While I do not object to supporting a child until they have graduated high school, I do however think it is unreasonable to expect an obligee, (person who pays support) to continue to support an adult until they are they age of 21, just because they are attending college/vocational training or any other educational facility. ORS 107.108 also requires an obligee to: (7) Each parent ordered to pay support shall continue to make support payments, to be distributed (meaning continue to pay the other parent--just exactly how is it verified that this money is going to the child?!!!) or paid directly, to the child during regularly scheduled breaks as long as the child intends to continue attending school the next scheduled term or semester. An obligee is required to continue to pay support even when the child is on any break, such as summer break often approximately 3 months long, even if the child is working their own full time job receiving their own income. If you have a child being supported by Social Security they are cut off at the age of 18, or until they have graduated high school, they stopped paying for children attending college or any other educational facility back in 1981. I say it is time to change Oregon’s law in regards to child support requirements until the age of 21 for children attending school; we should not be required to support adults.

This law seems somewhat discriminatory as it only pertains to divorced and unmarried parents. If you are divorced or an unmarried parent the rules are different for you than married couples who have children. Married couples with children are not required to support their children past the age of 18 or until they graduate from high school. Just because the parents are married does not mean they will continue to pay their children's expense until they are 21. Most people I know they were on their own shortly after high school and most attending college did it from their own means, as they paid for it themselves. Adult children should not be able to obtain support til there are 21 this is ridiculous, just because their parents were never married or are divorced.

I think now is the time we need to be heard and not taken advantage of anymore by a support system that needs to be updated and not so biased. We should not have discrimination anymore but being a part of the child support system it is still very obvious that gender plays a major role on how one is viewed during any support procedures, hearings, modification of support payments, etc.

I am sure we are not the only ones that feel that this law is unjust to anyone paying child support. Most people out there that are paying child support are already treated unjustly or looked at as the 'bad' person. Most often in support hearings the person who is to pay support doesn't have a chance regarding their thoughts or concerns taken seriously. Usually they are just expected to pay and be quiet. Help us to make a change.