HB-4743, As Passed House, October 22, 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 4743

 

June 18, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Kosowski, Heise and Kesto and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1971 PA 174, entitled

 

"Office of child support act,"

 

by amending section 3 (MCL 400.233), as amended by 2014 PA 381.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3. The office shall do all of the following:

 

     (a) Serve as a state agency authorized to administer title IV-

 

D.

 

     (b) Assist a governmental agency or department in locating an

 

adult responsible for the child for any of the following purposes:

 

     (i) To establish parentage.

 

     (ii) To establish, set the amount of, modify, or enforce

 

support obligations.

 

     (iii) To disburse support receipts.

 

     (iv) To make or enforce child custody or parenting time

 

orders.


     (c) Coordinate activity on a state level in a search for an

 

adult responsible for the child.

 

     (d) Obtain information that directly relates to the identity

 

or location of an adult responsible for the child.

 

     (e) Serve as the information agency as provided in the revised

 

uniform reciprocal enforcement of support act, 1952 PA 8, MCL

 

780.151 to 780.183, and the uniform interstate family support act ,

 

1996 PA 310, MCL 552.1101 to 552.1901.(2015).

 

     (f) Develop guidelines for coordinating activities of a

 

governmental department, board, commission, bureau, agency, or

 

council, or a public or private agency, in providing information

 

necessary for the location of an adult responsible for the child.

 

     (g) Develop, administer, and coordinate with the state and

 

federal departments of treasury a procedure for offsetting the

 

state tax refunds and federal income tax refunds of a parent who is

 

obligated to support a child and who owes past due support. The

 

procedure shall include a guideline that the office submit to the

 

state department of treasury, not later than November 15 of each

 

year, all requests for the offset of state tax refunds claimed on

 

returns filed or to be filed for that tax year.

 

     (h) Develop and implement a statewide information system to

 

facilitate the establishment and enforcement of child support

 

obligations.

 

     (i) Develop and implement guidelines for the allocation and

 

distribution of all child support payments that meet the

 

requirements of federal law, regulation, or rule.

 

     (j) Publicize through regular and frequent, nonsexist public


service announcements the availability of support establishment and

 

enforcement services.

 

     (k) Develop and implement in cooperation with financial

 

institutions a data matching and lien and levy system to identify

 

assets of and to facilitate the collection of support from the

 

assets of individuals who have an account at a financial

 

institution and who are obligated to pay support as provided in

 

this act.

 

     (l) Provide discovery and support for support enforcement

 

activities as provided in the support and parenting time

 

enforcement act, 1982 PA 295, MCL 552.601 to 552.650.

 

     (m) Have in effect safeguards against the unauthorized use or

 

disclosure of case record information that are designed to protect

 

the privacy rights of the parties as specified in sections 454 and

 

454a of title IV-D, 42 USC 654 and 654a, and that are consistent

 

with the use and disclosure standards provided under section 64 of

 

the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.64.

 

     (n) As provided in section 10 for friend of the court cases,

 

centralize administrative enforcement remedies and develop and

 

implement a centralized enforcement program to facilitate the

 

collection of support.

 

     (o) Coordinate, through the state friend of the court bureau

 

created in section 19 of the friend of the court act, 1982 PA 294,

 

MCL 552.519, the provision of services under title IV-D by friend

 

of the court offices.

 

     (p) According to federal law, determine a method to calculate

 

a maximum obligation for reimbursement of medical expenses in


connection with a mother's pregnancy and the birth of a child. The

 

method shall be based on each parent's ability to pay and on any

 

other relevant factor, and apportion the expenses in the same

 

manner as health care expenses are divided under the child support

 

formula established under section 19 of the friend of the court

 

act, 1982 PA 294, MCL 552.519.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect January

 

1, 2016.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 4742 (request no.

 

02792'15) of the 98th Legislature is enacted into law.