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1103 Schrock Road, Suite 309, Columbus, Ohio, 43229
614-846-6652 www.ohiocspa.org
Senate Judiciary Committee
Interested Party Testimony of Ryann Levering-White, Esq.
Ohio Child Support Professionals Association
SB174
October 8, 2015
Chairman Manning, Vice Chair Reynolds, Ranking Member Hicks-Hudson, and
members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide Interested
Party testimony on SB174 on behalf of the Ohio Child Support Professionals
Association. We are a membership organization of county child support
enforcement agencies (CSEAs), dedicated to strengthening Ohio’s child
support program through education, advocacy, and support. My name is
Ryann Levering-White, and I serve as the Director of Public Policy.
Ohio’s Child Support Program plays a critical role in the lives of children and
families. One in four children in our state—nearly 700,000 cases statewide—
are served by our County CSEAs. CSEAs are responsible for administering and
enforcing child support orders in each of these cases. Importantly, we do not
represent either party in a child support case; rather, we serve the best
interests of the child by ensuring that support obligations are properly met.
We support the goal of SB174, which updates Ohio’s family law statutes to be
more child centered. When parents do not reside together, the paramount
objective should always be the best interest of the child. We commend the
sponsors for recognizing this principle and for working to modernize Ohio’s
approach to family law.
Throughout the legislative process, we have had productive conversations with
the bill’s proponents regarding key provisions—particularly those related to
paternity establishment and child support. We appreciate their openness to
feedback and collaboration. We have also identified areas where additional
clarification is needed, and we trust that these matters will be addressed in a
future amendment to avoid confusion.
It is essential to note that, once a court establishes a child support order, the
CSEA must be able to promptly enter that order into our statewide support
enforcement tracking system (SETS). This step is critical to ensure timely case
processing and the immediate commencement of collections. To support this,
we respectfully emphasize the importance of clear, detailed court orders. Even
in cases where parents may share equal or nearly equal parenting time, a child
support order may still be proper and warranted (e.g. where the parties have a
large disparity in income). All deviations from the standard child support
Joyce Bowens
Past President
Delaware County
John Brunner, Esq.
1st Vice President
Auglaize County
Jaime Freeman
2nd Vice President
Coshocton County
Jennifer Tultz
Treasurer
Summit County
Lindsay Hendricks
Secretary
Muskingum County
Bonita Johnson
Toledo District
President
Lucas County
Traci Berry, Esq.
Canton/Cleveland
District President
Tuscarawas County
William Peltcs
Columbus District
President
Franklin County
Thomas Howard, Esq.
Cincinnati District
President
Warren County
Theresa Ellison, Esq.
Member at Large
Clermont County
Sandra Green, President Amy Roehrenbeck, Esq.
Preble County Executive Director

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1103 Schrock Road, Suite 309, Columbus, Ohio, 43229
614-846-6652 www.ohiocspa.org
guidelines should be explicitly stated, and a completed guidelines worksheet must be attached to
each order, as required by law. This practice promotes consistency, reduces delays, and supports
our shared goal of serving Ohio’s children and families efficiently.
We thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony and for your commitment to children
and families across Ohio. I am available to answer any questions you may have at
ryann@ohiocspa.org.