- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 – Allowed IRS to withhold federal income tax refunds
- Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1983 – Child support became nondischargeable in bankruptcy
- Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 – child support delinquency was reported to consumer reporting agencies
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 – Prohibited the retroactive modification of child support awards
- Family Support Act of 1988 – automatic wage garnishment for all cases unless both parties agreed not necessary
- Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 – Imposed federal criminal penalty for willful failure to pay past-due child support for child residing in another state.
- Ted Weiss Child Support Enforcement Act of 1992 – Required consumer reporting agencies to include in credit reports failure to pay overdue child support
- Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994 – Stays not allowed for paternity, child support and alimony proceedings in bankruptcy filing
- Small Business Administration Amendments of 1994 – Parents who failed to pay child support were ineligible for small business loans
- Social Security Amendments of 1994 – Required states to report parents owing at least two months of child support to consumer credit agencies
- Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1998 – Created two new felony offenses with two-year prison terms