Duties of Support Enforcement Agency
1994 c 630 art 3 s 7; 1997 c 245 art 3 s 14; 2014 c 189 s 21,73; 2015 c 71 art 1 s 119
- (a) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this chapter.
(b) A support enforcement agency that is providing services to the petitioner shall:
- (1) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of this state, another state, or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent;
- (2) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;
- (3) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;
- (4) within two days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of notice in a record from an initiating, responding, or registering tribunal, send a copy of the notice to the petitioner;
- (5) within two days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent's attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and
- (6) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.
(c) A support enforcement agency of this state that requests registration of a child support order in this state for enforcement or for modification shall make reasonable efforts:
- (1) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or
- (2) if two or more child support orders exist and the identity of the controlling order has not been determined, to ensure that a request for such a determination is made in a tribunal having jurisdiction to do so.
- (d) A support enforcement agency of this state that requests registration and enforcement of a support order, arrears, or judgment stated in a foreign currency shall convert the amounts stated in the foreign currency into the equivalent amounts in dollars under the applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported.
- (e) A support enforcement agency of this state shall request a tribunal of this state to issue a child support order and an income-withholding order that redirect payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state pursuant to section 518C.319.
- (f) This chapter does not create or negate a relationship of attorney and client or other fiduciary relationship between a support enforcement agency or the attorney for the agency and the individual being assisted by the agency.