OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A Western Washington man says he is still financially on the hook for a child he can prove isn't his.
"There are a lot of things I would like to be the face of – paternity fraud was never at the top of my list," said Brandon Jones of Tacoma.
Jones told the House Judiciary Committee he's ordered to pay child support for a son, even though he says genetic tests prove they aren't related.
Now he's the namesake of House Bill 2612, which terminates "all legal responsibilities of a nonparent if genetic testing shows by clear and 3 convincing evidence that a man is not the genetic father of a child".
Jones says besides the issue of child support, there could also be medical issues if doctors are taking into account family history from the wrong father.
"When the child is a victim of paternity fraud, he or she is put at great risk because half of their medical information is incorrect," said Jones.
Opponents say they're worried about the children involved, who might lose parental support because of genetic testing. They do not want to change the four year time frame fathers have to challenge paternity.
"We believe that acts in the children's best interest, so they can have certainty and stability," said one opponent.
This story has been edited to correctly summarize HB 2612.
