Utah Code 78B-14-307. Duties of support enforcement agency
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(1) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this chapter.
Terms Used In Utah Code 78B-14-307
- Child: means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual's parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of a support order directed to the parent. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Child support order: means a support order for a child, including a child who has attained the age of majority under the law of the issuing state or foreign country. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
- Foreign country: means a country, including a political subdivision thereof, other than the United States, that authorizes the issuance of support orders and:(5)(a) which has been declared under the law of the United States to be a foreign reciprocating country;(5)(b) which has established a reciprocal arrangement for child support with this state as provided in Section
78B-14-308 ;(5)(c) which has enacted a law or established procedures for the issuance and enforcement of support orders which are substantially similar to the procedures under this chapter; or(5)(d) in which the convention is in force with respect to the United States. See Utah Code 78B-14-102 - Income: includes earnings or other periodic entitlements to money from any source and any other property subject to withholding for support under the law of this state. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Income-withholding order: means an order or other legal process directed to an obligor's employer or other source of income as defined in Section
26B-9-101 , to withhold support from the income of the obligor. See Utah Code 78B-14-102 - Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Property: includes both real and personal property. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
- Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Registering tribunal: means a tribunal in which a support order or judgment determining parentage of a child is registered. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Support enforcement agency: means a public official, governmental entity, or private agency authorized to:(27)(a) seek enforcement of support orders or laws relating to the duty of support;(27)(b) seek establishment or modification of child support;(27)(c) request determination of parentage of a child;(27)(d) attempt to locate obligors or their assets; or(27)(e) request determination of the controlling child support order. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Support order: means a judgment, decree, order, decision, or directive, whether temporary, final, or subject to modification, issued in a state or foreign country for the benefit of a child, a spouse, or a former spouse, which provides for monetary support, health care, arrearages, retroactive support, or reimbursement for financial assistance provided to an individual obligee in place of child support. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
- Tribunal: means a court, administrative agency, or quasi-judicial entity authorized to establish, enforce, or modify support orders or to determine parentage of a child. See Utah Code 78B-14-102
(2) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall:
(2)(a) 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)(b) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;
(2)(c) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;
(2)(d) within 10 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;
(2)(e) within 10 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
(2)(f) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.
(3) 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:
(3)(a) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or
(3)(b) 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.
(4) 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.
(5) A support enforcement agency of this state shall issue or request a tribunal of this state to issue a child support order and an income-withholding order that redirects payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state pursuant to Section 78B-14-319.
(6) 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.