HB-4772, As Passed House, July 2, 2003

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 4772

                                                                             A bill to amend 1982 PA 295, entitled                                             

"Support and parenting time enforcement act,"                               

by amending sections 7, 13, 27, and 35 (MCL 552.607, 552.613,               

552.627, and 552.635), section 7 as amended by 2002 PA 572,                 

section 13 as amended by 1998 PA 334, section 27 as amended by              

2001 PA 106, and section 35 as amended by 2002 PA 567.                      

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 7.  (1) For a friend of the court case, if income                      

2   withholding is not immediately effective and the arrearage under            

3   a support order reaches the arrearage amount that requires the              

4   initiation of 1 or more support enforcement measures as provided            

5   in section 11 of the friend of the court act, MCL 552.511, or, if           

6   the amount of income withholding is administratively adjusted for           

7   arrears under section 17e of the friend of the court act, MCL               

8   552.517e, the office of the friend of the court immediately shall           

1   send notice of the arrearage to the payer by ordinary mail to his           

2   or her last known address.  The notice to the payer shall contain           

3   the following information:                                                  

4       (a) The amount of the arrearage.                                            

5       (b) One or both of the following:                                           

6                                                                                (i) That the payer's income is subject to income withholding                        

7   and the amount to be withheld.                                              

8   (ii) That the payer's income withholding is being                            

9   administratively adjusted and the amount of the adjustment.

10      (c) That income withholding will be applied to current and                  

11  subsequent employers and periods of employment and other sources            

12  of income.                                                                  

13      (d) That the order of income withholding is effective and                   

14  notice to withhold income will be sent to the payer's source of             

15  income.                                                                     

16      (e) That the payer may request a hearing under subsection (4)               

17  in writing within 21 days after the date of the notice to contest           

18  the withholding, but only on the grounds that the withholding is            

19  not proper because of a mistake of fact concerning the amount of            

20  current or overdue support or the identity of the payer, and if             

21  the notice includes an administrative adjustment of arrears, that           

22  the administrative adjustment will cause an unjust or                       

23  inappropriate result.                                                       

24      (f)  That if the hearing is held before a referee, the payer                

25  has a right to a de novo hearing before a circuit court judge.

26  The place where a request for hearing under subsection (4) shall            

27  be filed.

1       (g) That if the payer believes that the amount of support                   

2   should be modified due to a change in circumstances, the payer              

3   may file a petition with the court for modification of the                  

4   support order.                                                              

5       (2) A copy of the notice provided for in subsection (1) shall               

6   be sent by ordinary mail to each recipient of support.                      

7       (3) A payer to whom notice is sent under subsection (1),                    

8   within 21 days after the date on which the notice was sent, may             

9   request a hearing by filing a request for hearing as provided in            

10  the notice and serving a copy on the other party.  A hearing                

11  concerning implementation of income withholding that was not                

12  previously effective may be requested only on the grounds that              

13  the withholding is not proper because of a mistake of fact                  

14  concerning the amount of current or overdue support or the                  

15  identity of the payer.                                                      

16      (4)  A If a payer requests a hearing under subsection (3),                 

17  the notice and request shall be filed with the court clerk as a             

18  motion contesting the proposed action and a referee or circuit              

19  judge shall hold a hearing  requested under this section  within            

20  14 days after the date of the request.  If at the hearing the               

21  payer establishes that the withholding is not proper because of a           

22  mistake of fact concerning the amount of current or overdue                 

23  support or the identity of the payer,  the referee or circuit               

24  judge may direct that the order of income withholding be                    

25  rescinded until such time as the referee or judge determines or            

26  that periodic implementation of an administrative adjustment of             

27  the amount of the periodic payment of arrears to be withheld will           

1   cause an unjust or inappropriate result, the income withholding             

2   shall be modified or rescinded according to the guidelines for              

3   setting and administratively adjusting the amount of periodic               

4   payments for overdue support established under section 19 of the            

5   friend of the court act, 1982 PA 294, MCL 552.519.                          

6       (5) If the hearing provided under subsection (4) is held                    

7   before a referee, either party may request a de novo hearing as             

8   provided in section 7 of the friend of the court act,                       

9   MCL 552.507.                                                                

10      (6) If a petition for modification of the support order is                  

11  filed by or on behalf of a payer and is pending at the date                 

12  scheduled for a hearing under subsection (4), the court may                 

13  consolidate the hearing under subsection (4) and a hearing on the           

14  petition for modification.                                                  

15      (7) All proceedings under this section shall be completed                   

16  within 45 days after the date that notice was sent under                    

17  subsection (1), unless otherwise permitted by the court upon a              

18  showing of good cause.                                                      

19      Sec. 13.  The court may find a source of income in contempt,                

20  require the source of income to pay an amount according to                  

21  section 11a(2) if the terms of that section have been satisfied,

22  and fine the source of income if the source of income is served             

23  with a notice of income withholding and fails to comply with the            

24  notice or to pay withheld amounts to the friend of the court                

25  after the order becomes binding under section 11.  The IV-D                 

26  agency is responsible for initiating contempt proceedings under             

27  this section.  Contempt proceedings under this section may be               

1   initiated in any county with jurisdiction over the source of                

2   income.

3       Sec. 27.  (1)  The According to court rules, the circuit                   

4   court may take other enforcement action under applicable laws,              

5   including, but not limited to, the following:                               

6       (a) 1846 RS 84, MCL 552.1 to 552.45.                                        

7       (b) 1913 PA 379, MCL 552.151 to  552.155 552.156.                          

8       (c) The family support act, 1966 PA 138, MCL 552.451 to                     

9   552.459.                                                                    

10      (d) Section 1701 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961                

11  PA 236, MCL 600.1701.                                                       

12      (e) 1968 PA 293, MCL 722.1 to 722.6.                                        

13      (f) The child custody act of 1970, 1970 PA 91, MCL 722.21 to                

14  722.30 722.31.                                                            

15      (g) The paternity act, 1956 PA 205, MCL 722.711 to 722.730.                 

16      (2) Even if another act of this state provides that this act                

17  applies to support orders issued under the other act, if that               

18  other act contains a specific provision regarding the contents or           

19  enforcement of the support order that conflicts with this act,              

20  the other act controls in regard to that provision.                         

21  (3) Nothing in this section authorizes the IV-D agency to                   

22  pursue enforcement action under applicable laws except as                   

23  otherwise specifically authorized by statute or court rule.

24      Sec. 35.  (1) The court may find a payer in contempt if the                 

25  court finds that the payer is in arrears and  if the 1 of the              

26  following:                                                                  

27      (a) The court is satisfied that by the exercise of diligence                

1   the payer could have the capacity to pay all or some portion of             

2   the amount due under the support order and that the payer fails             

3   or refuses to do so.                                                        

4   (b) The payer has failed to obtain a source of income and has               

5   failed to participate in a work activity after referral by the              

6   friend of the court.

7       (2) Upon finding a payer in contempt of court under this                    

8   section, the court  may immediately enter an order doing shall,            

9   absent good cause to the contrary, immediately order the payer to           

10  participate in a work activity and may also do 1 or more of the             

11  following:                                                                  

12      (a)  Committing Commit the payer to the county jail with the               

13  privilege of leaving the jail during the hours the court                    

14  determines, and under the supervision the court considers,                  

15  necessary for the purpose of allowing the payer to  go to and               

16  return from his or her place of employment or, if the person                

17  wishes to seek employment, to seek employment participate in a             

18  work activity.                                                              

19      (b) If the payer holds an occupational license, driver's                    

20  license, or recreational or sporting license,  conditioning

21  condition a suspension of the payer's license, or  any a

22  combination of the licenses, upon noncompliance with an order for           

23  payment of the arrearage in 1 or more scheduled installments of a           

24  sum certain.  A court shall not order the sanction authorized by            

25  this subdivision unless the court finds that the payer has                  

26  accrued an arrearage of support payments in an amount greater               

27  than the amount of periodic support payments payable for 2 months           

1   under the payer's support order.                                            

2   (c) Ordering the payer to participate in a work activity.                   

3   This subdivision does not alter the court's authority to include            

4   provisions in an order issued under this section concerning a               

5   payer's employment or his or her seeking of employment as that              

6   authority exists on August 10, 1998.

7   (c)  (d)  If available within the court's jurisdiction, order               

8   the payer to participate in a community corrections program                 

9   established as provided in the community corrections act, 1988              

10  PA 511, MCL 791.401 to 791.414.                                             

11      (3) Notwithstanding the length of commitment imposed under                  

12  this section, the court may release a payer who is unemployed               

13  when if committed to a county jail under this section and who             

14  finds employment if either of the following applies:                        

15      (a) The payer is self-employed, completes 2 consecutive weeks               

16  at his or her employment, and makes a support payment as required           

17  by the court.                                                               

18      (b) The payer is employed and completes 2 consecutive weeks                 

19  at his or her employment and an order of income withholding is              

20  effective.                                                                  

21      (4) If the court enters an order under subsection (2)(b) and                

22  the payer fails to comply with the arrearage payment schedule,              

23  after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, the court shall              

24  order suspension of the payer's license or licenses with respect            

25  to which the order under subsection (2)(b) was entered and shall            

26  proceed under section 30.