The Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Child Support Division reported a record $2.6 billion in collections for fiscal year 2008.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the increase marks six consecutive years of increasing collections from parents.

“Efficient, effective child support collections help ensure that young Texans with have the resources they need to grow healthy and strong,” Abbott said in a prepared statement.

An estimated 54,000 parents are obliged under court order to pay child support in Texas.

More than 4,000 parents were incarcerated for failing to pay child support during fiscal year 2008, which ran from Sept. 1, 2007 through Aug. 31, 2008.

Abbott's office reported that the $2.6 billion collected last year helped more than 274,000 parents who once received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families maintain self-sufficiency without public assistance.