HB-5372, As Passed Senate, December 8, 2004                                 

    SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR

    HOUSE BILL NO. 5372

                                                                             A bill to amend 1982 PA 295, entitled                                             

"Support and parenting time enforcement act,"                               

by amending section 31 (MCL 552.631), as amended by 2002 PA 567.            

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 31.  (1) If a person is ordered to pay support under a                 

2   support order and fails or refuses to obey and perform the order,           

3   and if an order of income withholding is inapplicable or                    

4   unsuccessful, a recipient of support or the office of the friend            

5   of the court may commence a civil contempt proceeding by filing             

6   in the circuit court a petition for an order to show cause why              

7   the delinquent payer should not be held in contempt.  If the                

8   payer fails to appear in response to an order to show cause, the            

9   court shall do 1 or more of the following:                                  

10      (a) Find the payer in contempt for failure to appear.                       

11      (b) Find the payer in contempt for the reasons stated in the                

House Bill No. 5372 as amended December 8, 2004                             

1   motion for the show cause hearing.                                          

2       (c) Apply an enforcement remedy authorized under this act or                

3   the friend of the court act for the nonpayment of support.                  

4       (d) Issue a bench warrant for the payer's arrest requiring                  

5   that the payer be brought before the court without unnecessary              

6   delay for further proceedings in connection with the show cause             

7   or contempt proceedings.                                                    

8       (e) Adjourn the hearing.                                                    

9       (f) Dismiss the order to show cause if the court determines                 

10  that the payer is not in contempt.                                          

11      (2) In a bench warrant issued under this section, the court                 

12  shall decree that the payer is subject to arrest if apprehended             

13  or detained anywhere in this state and shall require that, upon             

14  arrest, unless the payer deposits a cash performance bond in the            

15  manner required by section 32, the payer shall remain in custody            

16  until the time of the hearing.  The court shall specify in the              

17  bench warrant the cash performance bond amount.  The court shall            

18  set the cash performance bond at not less than $500.00 or 25% of            

19  the arrearage, whichever is greater.  At its own discretion, the            

20  court may set the cash performance bond at an amount up to 100%             

21  of the arrearage and add to the amount of the required deposit              

22  the amount of the costs the court may require under subsection              

23  (3).  If a payer is arrested on a felony warrant issued for a               

24  violation of section 165 of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA <<328>>,       

25  MCL 750.165, unless the payer deposits a cash performance bond in           

26  the manner required by section 32, the court shall require that,            

27  upon arrest, the payer remain in custody until the time of the              

House Bill No. 5372 as amended December 7, 2004 and December 8, 2004        

1   preliminary examination.  Upon notification that a payer who has            

2   an outstanding bench warrant under this section has been arrested           

3   or arraigned on a felony warrant for a violation of section 165             

4   of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA <<328>>, MCL 750.165, the court         

5   <<may>> order that the bench warrant be recalled.

6       (3) If the court issues a bench warrant under this section,                 

7   except for good cause shown on the record, the court shall order            

8   the payer to pay the costs related to the hearing, issuance of              

9   the warrant, arrest, and further hearings.  Those costs and costs           

10  ordered for failure to appear under section 32 or 44 shall be               

11  transmitted to the county treasurer for distribution as required            

12  in section 2530 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA              

13  236, MCL 600.2530.                                                          

14      Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

15  effect unless House Bill No. 5373 of the 92nd Legislature is                

16  enacted into law.