SUPPORT RECEIPT, DISBURSEMENT, & FEES S.B. 522:
SUMMARY AS ENACTED
Senate Bill 522 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 379 of 2014
Sponsor: Senator Bruce Caswell
Senate Committee: Families, Seniors and Human Services
House Committee: Families, Children, and Seniors
CONTENT
The bill repeals sections of the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act that: 1) require the Department of Human Services (DHS), the State Disbursement Unit, and each Office of the Friend of the Court to cooperate in a transition to the centralized receipt and disbursement of support and fees; and 2) require a court to order a monthly service fee to reimburse a county for the cost of enforcing a spousal or child support or a parenting time order.
The bill will take effect on March 17, 2015.
The Office of Child Support Act established the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), which is the single location to which a payer must send support or fee payments. The SDU is responsible for receiving funds from a payer of support and disbursing those funds to the recipient of support. The Act sets forth a schedule that incrementally increased the scope of this system over a period of two years beginning in 1999.
Section 14a of the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act includes a provision requiring the DHS, the SDU, and each Office of the Friend of the Court to cooperate in a transition to the centralized receipt and disbursement of support and fees. The transition period was based on the timeline established in the Office of Child Support Act.
Section 23 requires the court to order a monthly service fee to reimburse a county for the cost of enforcing a spousal or child support or a parenting time order under the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act. The fee is $2 per month and payable on each January 2 and July 2. If a person fails or refuses to pay the fee, the court may hold him or her in contempt.
MCL 780.164a & 780.173 Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill will have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.