---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 668"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "668"
heading: "Encouragement of States to adopt civil procedure for establishing paternity in contested cases"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/668"
units:
  - "Chapter 7 — Social Security"
  - "Subchapter IV — Grants to States for Aid and Services to Needy Families with Children and for Child-Welfare Services"
  - "Part D — Child Support and Establishment of Paternity"
---

# §668. Encouragement of States to adopt civil procedure for establishing paternity in contested cases


In the [administration](/usc/42/1301.md?p=a-10) of the [child](/usc/42/1382c.md?p=c) support enforcement program under this part, each [State](/usc/42/619.md?p=5) is encouraged to establish and implement a civil procedure for establishing paternity in contested cases.


## Source credit

(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title IV, § 468, as added Pub. L. 100–485, title I, § 111(d), Oct. 13, 1988, 102 Stat. 2350; amended Pub. L. 104–193, title III, § 331(c), Aug. 22, 1996, 110 Stat. 2230.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–193 struck out “a simple civil process for voluntarily acknowledging paternity and” after “implement”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1996 Amendment

For effective date of amendment by Pub. L. 104–193, see section 395(a)–(c) of Pub. L. 104–193, set out as a note under section 654 of this title.