An Act To Modify Child Support Enforcement Procedures
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0202
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: NASS, ROSEN, BENNETT, HARVELL, STEVENS, WEBSTER, CRAVEN
Amends: 14 MRSA §3128-A, 19-A MRSA §2006, 19-A MRSA §2369

Legislative Document 
No. 202 
H.P. 179 
House of Representatives, January 27, 2011 
An Act To Modify Child Support Enforcement Procedures 
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative NASS of Acton. 
Cosponsored by Senator ROSEN of Hancock and 
Representatives: BENNETT of Kennebunk, HARVELL of Farmington, STEVENS of Bangor, 
WEBSTER of Freeport, Senator: CRAVEN of Androscoggin. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  14 MRSA §3128-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 419, §8, is 
amended to read: 
3.  Duration.  The order continues in effect for 6 months or until the obligor finds 
work, whichever occurs first. 
Sec. 2.  19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§5, ¶C, as amended by PL 2009, c. 290, §13, is 
further amended to read: 
C.  The subsistence needs of the nonprimary care provider must be taken into account 
when establishing the parental support obligation.  If the annual gross income of the 
nonprimary care provider is less than the federal poverty guideline, the nonprimary 
care provider's weekly parental support obligation for each child for whom a support 
award is being established or modified may not exceed 10% of the nonprimary care 
provider's weekly gross income, regardless of the amount of the parties' combined 
annual gross income.  The child support table includes a self-support reserve for 
obligors earning  $22,800 or less per year.  If, within an age category, the nonprimary 
care provider's annual gross income, without adjustments, is in the self-support 
reserve for the total number of children for whom support is being determined, the 
amount listed in the self-support reserve multiplied by the number of children in the 
age category is the nonprimary care provider's support obligation for the children in 
that age category, regardless of the parties' combined annual gross income.  The 
nonprimary care provider's proportional share of childcare, health insurance 
premiums and extraordinary medical expenses are added to this basic support 
obligation.  This paragraph does not apply if its application would result in a greater 
support obligation than a support obligation determined without application of this 
paragraph. 
Sec. 3.  19-A MRSA §2369, first ¶, as amended by PL 2001, c. 264, §12, is 
further amended to read: 
The receipt of public assistance for a child constitutes an assignment by the recipient 
to the department of all rights to support for the child and spousal support, including any 
support unpaid at the time of assignment, as long as public assistance is paid that accrue 
during the period that the recipient receives public assistance for the child. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends several child support enforcement provisions.  It: 
1.  Eliminates the 6-month limitation on a court order for a child support obligor to 
seek employment; 
2.  Changes the child support guidelines from requiring that the support obligation of 
a nonprimary care provider who earns less than the federal poverty guidelines may not 
exceed 10% of the nonprimary care provider’s weekly gross income for each child for 
whom support is awarded to requiring that the support obligation may not exceed 10% of 
the nonprimary care provider’s weekly gross income regardless of the number of 
children; and 
3.  Limits the assignment of child support received by a recipient of public assistance 
to only that support that accrues during the period that the recipient receives public 
assistance.