This section is perhaps the most crucial provision in UIFSA. |
Drawing on the precedent of the federal PARENTAL KIDNAPPING |
PREVENTION ACT, 28 U.S.C. Section 1738A, the issuing tribunal |
retains continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over a child |
support order, except in very narrowly defined circumstances. |
First introduced by UIFSA in 1992, this principle is |
understood and widely accepted in all jurisdictions. "CEJ," as |
it is known in the child-support enforcement world, is |
fundamental to the one-child-support-order-at-a-time principle |
of UIFSA. At first glance this section appears to have been |
significantly rewritten; certainly minor adjustments have been |
made to the substantive rules established. But, with the |
exception of the addition of and entirely new Subsection |
(a)(2), the sole intent and effect of the 2001 amendments is |
to reorganize the statutory language for greater clarity. The |
basic concept that the tribunal issuing a support order |
retains continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify that |
order remains the cornerstone of |
the Act. |