New York, NY —

The Paterson administration is taking some heat from child advocates. They're offended by a new fee the state is charging when it helps single parents collect child support. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: The $25 annual fee is required by the federal government. New York State absorbed it until last month, when the budget deficit ballooned. Jennifer March-Joly, director of Citizen's Committee for Children, says the Paterson administration shouldn't burden single parents struggling to raise kids, especially if it's unwilling to tax the rich.

MARCH-JOLY: While I agree that they should turn over every stone, I think that this one should be the last option on their list because there are far greater revenue producers that are more fair and equitable.

REPORTER The state says it doesn't like the federally mandated fee but could no longer cover it. A spokesman for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance says it's affecting only 17 percent of cases, and those getting hit with the fee collect an average $6,000 a year in child support. The fee is expected to generate roughly $4 million. For WNYC, I'm Cindy Rodriguez.