| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
|
| | Sec. 1. 15 MRSA §3314, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1997, c. 752, §23 and | PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read: |
|
| | 5. Support orders. Whenever the court commits a juvenile to | the Department of Health and Human Services, to a Department of | Corrections juvenile correctional facility or to a relative or | other person, the court may shall order either or both parents of | the juvenile to pay a reasonable amount of support for the | juvenile child support in accordance with the child support | guidelines under Title 19-A, section 2006. The order is | enforceable under Title 19-A, section 2603. |
|
| | Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA §1615, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 466, §3 and | affected by §28, is amended to read: |
|
| §1615. Representation of department |
|
| | The commissioner may designate employees of the department who | are not attorneys to file the record of proceedings commenced | under this subchapter in District Court and to represent the | department in court in both those proceedings and proceedings | filed by other parties. The commissioner shall ensure that | appropriate training is provided to all employees designated to | represent the department under this subchapter. |
|
| | Sec. 3. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2003, c. 415, §8, is | further amended to read: |
|
| | 4. Computation of parental support obligation. The total | basic support obligation must be divided between the parties in | proportion to their respective gross incomes. The court or | hearing officer shall order the party not providing primary | residential care to pay, in money, that party's share of the | total basic support obligation to the party providing primary | residential care. The primary residential care provider is | presumed to spend the primary care provider's share directly on | each child. If the court or hearing officer determines that the | parties provide substantially equal care for a child for whom | support is sought, presumptive support must be calculated in | accordance with subsection 5, paragraph D-1. Both parents are | responsible for child support if a caretaker relative provides | primary residential care for the child.__The caretaker relative's | income may not be considered in determining the parents' child | support obligation. |
|
|