SUPPORT SERVICES TARGETED.

Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - California could lose as much as $4.8 billion in collections of delinquent child-support payments under a House-approved measure that slashes federal funds for enforcement, officials said Friday.

In Los Angeles County alone, officials estimated the total local loss would be $1 billion over the next decade.

The deficit-reduction measure - passed by the House 217-215 in the pre-dawn hours Friday - cuts $4.9 billion from child-support enforcement programs and trims another $50 million from a swath of government programs including agriculture subsidies, food stamps, foster care and student loans.

The bill remains in negotiations with the Senate, which has not called for cutting child-support enforcement, but Republicans steering the bill have voiced little support for restoring any funds.

``This will not save money. This will cost money,'' said Stan Trom, director of the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services, which collects about $50 million annually.

``The families are using the money for the necessities of life. ... To the extent that people don't get child support, they're driven onto welfare rolls,'' he said. ``We are the margin that keeps people off aid.''

The Child Support Directors Association of California estimated that, over the coming decade, Ventura County would lose $56 million under the bill; San Bernardino County, $106 million; and Los Angeles County, $400 million.

The state expects to lose $3.2 billion over that period, which officials said will result in the multibillion-dollar decline in collections.

``It's going to mean a huge reduction in the amount we're going to be able to collect,'' said Philip Browning, director of the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department. ``I do think it would be devastating for the county.''

Last year, the county collected $505 million for families and paid out more than $370 million, with the rest going to repay federal, state and local governments for welfare and foster care services, Browning said.

While officials said they are hopeful the money may yet be restored during Senate negotiations, some lawmakers say the cuts may be well- founded.

``When we're running deficits in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually, I think it's appropriate to look at programs and see where we can achieve some savings,'' said Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.

Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, said counties should assess any program or enforcement costs on deadbeat parents.

``Everybody wants to have the federal government pay for everything. We're saying, 'Wait a minute. We need to start spreading the costs,''' Miller said.

Others, however, have vowed to continue to fight. Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood, decried the cuts and said she felt hurt personally by $14.3 billion in cuts to federal student loans.

``I still pay off my student loans. ... Without that student loan, I never would have been able to go to law school,'' Sanchez said.

McKeon, who is a leading contender to chair the House Education Committee next year and who has worked to increase student loans, called the cuts small compared with the $75 billion program, and noted that much of the burden is on lenders, not students.

The bill, he said, actually increases loans to new students and broadens access to financial aid and overall will help lower the deficit.

``Hopefully what it means for California and for taxpayers across the country is that we have a plan to slow the growth of spending to realize savings,'' he said.