§ 552.501 Short title; purposes and construction of act
§ 552.502 Definitions; A to I
§ 552.502a Definitions; M to T
§ 552.503 Office of the friend of the court; creation in judicial circuit; exception; separate office in county; vacancy; merger; head of office as friend of the court; friend of the court as employee of c
§ 552.504 Citizen friend of the court advisory committee; establishment; composition; appointment; vacancy; terms; election of chairperson and vice-chairperson; court administrative office guidelines; term
§ 552.504a Citizen advisory committee; scope; duties; subcommittees; meetings open to the public; exception
§ 552.504b Information and records to be provided to citizen advisory committee
§ 552.504c Information and records as confidential; disclosure; penalty; grounds for dismissal
§ 552.505 Duties of friend of the court; failure of party to attend scheduled meeting; charging parties for investigation, report and recommendations; waiver or suspension of fees; disposition of money col
§ 552.505a Open friend of the court case; closure
§ 552.507 Referee; designation by chief judge; powers; transcript of hearing; cost; de novo court hearing; request; interim order; review
§ 552.507a Making report, recommendation, and supporting documents available to attorneys and parties; informing parties in child custody dispute or guardian concerning preference expressed by child; availa
§ 552.508 Expediting relief; methods
§ 552.509 Duties of office regarding support payments providing statement of account to parties; initiating and carrying out proceedings to enforce order regarding custody, parenting time, health care cove
§ 552.509a Centralized receipt and disbursement of support and fees
§ 552.511 Initiating enforcement of support order and custody or parenting time order; procedure; arrearage; amnesty
§ 552.511a Payment of health care expense; complaint; sending copy of complaint and notice to parent; objection; hearing
§ 552.511b Custody or parenting time order violations; complaint; sending copy of complaint to individual accused of interfering; action
§ 552.512 Reporting information to consumer reporting agency
§ 552.513 Alternative dispute resolution; approval of plan; “protection order” defined; agreement; consent order; confidentiality of communication; qualifications of person providing domestic relations med
§ 552.515 Certain actions by employee providing domestic relations mediation; prohibition
§ 552.517 Review of child support order after final judgment; modification order; calculations; petition for modification; scheduling of hearing; petition to require dependent health care coverage; use of
§ 552.517b Review of order; notice of right to request; notice of review; calculation of support amount; objection; joint meeting expediting resolution of support issues; provisions; modification; frequency
§ 552.517c Review of support order in another state; procedures
§ 552.517d Motion for modification of parenting time order
§ 552.517e Arrearage payment schedules; administrative adjustment
§ 552.517f Abatement of child support order upon incarceration of 180 days or more; notice; objection and administrative review; modification of order
§ 552.518 Information from employer or former employer relative to parent
§ 552.519 State friend of the court bureau; creation; supervision and direction; main office; duties; state advisory committee; report or recommendation; reimbursement for expenses; meetings; assistance
§ 552.520 Information requested by department of human services
§ 552.521 Person appointed as friend of the court under former act; continuation; transfer of files, records, funds, and pending cases of office under former act; employees of friend of the court appointed
§ 552.522 Appointment of attorney to assist friend of the court; compensation
§ 552.523 Vacancy; appointment of person to position of friend of the court or interim friend of the court; experience or education
§ 552.524 Annual review of performance record of friend of the court; public notice and comments; written evaluation; written response; copies
§ 552.525 Removal of friend of the court; approval
§ 552.526 Grievance procedure; record; powers and duties of citizen advisory committee
§ 552.527 Compensation and expenses of friend of the court and employees
§ 552.528 Compilation of data
§ 552.533 Repeal of MCL 552.251 to 552.255
§ 552.534 Conditional effective date
§ 552.535 Effective date
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws > Chapter 552 > Act 294 of 1982 - Friend of the Court Act

  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Alternative dispute resolution: means a process established under section 13 by which the parties are assisted in voluntarily formulating an agreement to resolve a dispute concerning child custody or parenting time that arises from a domestic relations matter. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Bureau: means the state friend of the court bureau created in section 19. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Centralizing enforcement: means the process authorized under section 10 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
  • Chief judge: means the following:
    (i) The circuit judge in a judicial circuit having only 1 circuit judge. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Citizen advisory committee: means a citizen friend of the court advisory committee established as provided in section 4. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Consumer reporting agency: means a person that, for monetary fees or dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties, and that uses any means or facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing consumer reports. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • County board: means the county board of commissioners in the county served by the office. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Court: means the circuit court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Current employment: means employment within 1 year before a friend of the court request for information. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Custody or parenting time order violation: means an individual's act or failure to act that interferes with a parent's right to interact with his or her child in the time, place, and manner established in the order that governs custody or parenting time between the parent and the child and to which the individual accused of interfering is subject. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • De novo hearing: means a new judicial consideration of a matter previously heard by a referee. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Department: means the department of health and human services. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Domestic relations matter: means a circuit court proceeding as to child custody, parenting time, child support, or spousal support, that arises out of litigation under a statute of this state, including, but not limited to, the following:
    •     (i) 1846 RS 84, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Fair Credit Reporting Act: A federal law, established in 1971 and revised in 1997, that gives consumers the right to see their credit records and correct any mistakes. Source: OCC
  • Friend of the court: means the person serving under section 21(1) or appointed under section 23 as the head of the office of the friend of the court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Friend of the court case: means a domestic relations matter that an office establishes as a friend of the court case as required under section 5a. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Health care coverage: means a fee for service, health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, or other type of private health care coverage or public health care coverage. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Income: means that term as defined in section 2 of the support and parenting time enforcement act, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502
  • Joint meeting: An occasion, often ceremonial, when the House and Senate each adopt a unanimous consent agreement
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Medical assistance: means medical assistance as established under title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC 1396 to 1396w-5. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Office of child support: means the office of child support created in section 2 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Payer: means a person ordered by the circuit court to pay support. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Public assistance: means cash assistance provided under the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Public health care coverage: means health care coverage that is established or maintained by a local, state, or federal government such as Medicaid established under title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC 1396 to 1396w-5 or the state children's health insurance program established under title XXI of the social security act, 42 USC 1397aa to 1397mm. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Recipient of support: means the following:
    •     (i) The spouse, if the support order orders spousal support. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • SDU: means the entity established in section 6 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • State advisory committee: means the committee established by the bureau under section 19. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Support: means all of the following:
    •     (i) The payment of money for a child or a spouse ordered by the circuit court, whether the order is embodied in an interim, temporary, permanent, or modified order or judgment. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Support and parenting time enforcement act: means 1982 PA 295, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Support order: means an order entered by the circuit court for the payment of support in a sum certain, whether in the form of a lump sum or a periodic payment. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.