This publication provides an overview of the current federal opportunities to help states advance their data-related activities. Although not exhaustive, this list provides a starting point for federal policymakers to support states' work in this area.

Today more than half of the women in America raising children on their own get no financial support from the fathers. The article considers the following aspects of states' roles in dealing with that problem: (1) states' powers and alternatives for action; (2) difficulties faced by states in applying those powers; and (3) suggestions for…