An Act To Amend the Child Support Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §1653, sub-§8, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:
A. Either parent of a minor child shall contribute reasonable and just sums as child support payable weekly biweekly, monthly or quarterly. In an action filed under section 1654, the court may require the child's nonprimary care provider to pay past support. Availability of public welfare benefits to the family may not affect the decision of the court as to the responsibility of a parent to provide child support. The court shall inquire of the parties concerning the existence of a child support order entered pursuant to chapter 65, subchapter II 2, article 3. If an order exists, the court shall consider its terms in establishing a child support obligation. A determination or modification of child support under this section and a determination of past support must comply with chapter 63.
Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§5, ¶F is enacted to read:
F. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the child support obligation for the party with whom the child is living for a period of at least 7 days is reduced in an amount commensurate with the time the child lives with that party.
summary
This bill amends the child support laws in 2 ways. First, this bill revises the payment schedule of child support from weekly payments to biweekly payments. Second, it eliminates the requirement that child support be paid during the time the child is living with the child support obligor, as long as that time period is at least 7 days.