SUPPORT RECEIPT, DISBURSEMENT, & FEES                                                      S.B. 522:

                                                                                               COMMITTEE SUMMARY

Senate Bill 522 (as introduced 9-19-13)

Sponsor:  Senator Bruce Caswell

Committee:  Families, Seniors and Human Services

Date Completed:  10-23-13

CONTENT

The bill would repeal sections of the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act that: 1) require the Department of Human Services (DHS), the State Disbursement Unit (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; 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 Office of Child Support Act established the SDU, which is the single location to which a payer must send support or fee payments.  The State Disbursement Unit 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. 

The bill would repeal Sections 14a and 23 of the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, which are discussed below.

Section 14a 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.  The payer of support must pay the fee six months in advance on each due date, except for the first payment, which is due when the support order is filed.  A court order for payment of support must provide for the payment of the service fee, calculated from the beginning of the date of support and continuing while the order is operative.  A court may amend an order or judgment to provide for the payment of the fee upon proper notice to the payer.  The service fees must be turned over to the county treasurer and credited to the county's general fund.  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:  Glenn Steffens

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

                                                                                     Fiscal Analyst:  Dan O'Connor

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.