(a) A court of this State may request the appropriate court of another state to:
- (1) hold an evidentiary hearing;
- (2) order a person to produce or give evidence in accordance with procedures of that state;
- (3) order that an evaluation be made with respect to the custody of a child involved in a pending proceeding;
- (4) forward to the court of this State a certified copy of the transcript of the record of the hearing, the evidence otherwise presented, and any evaluation prepared in compliance with the request; and
- (5) order a party to a child custody proceeding or any person having physical custody of the child to appear in the proceeding with or without the child.
- (b) On request of a court of another state, a court of this State may hold a hearing or enter an order described in subsection (a) of this section.
- (c) Travel and other necessary and reasonable expenses incurred under subsections (a) and (b) of this section may be assessed against the parties according to the law of this State.
(d)
- (1) A court of this State shall preserve the pleadings, orders, decrees, records of hearings, evaluations, and other pertinent records with respect to a child custody proceeding until the child attains 18 years of age.
- (2) On appropriate request by a court or law enforcement official of another state, the court shall forward a certified copy of those records.
Added by Acts 2004, c. 502, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 2004.