reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
15 V.S.A. § 655
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 655. Total child support obligation

§ 655. Total child support obligation|In any proceeding to establish or modify child support, the total support obligation shall be presumed to be the amount of child support needed, from which a parental support obligation shall be calculated and ordered to be paid unless support is established under section 659 of this title. The court shall review the adequacy of a child support amount agreed to by the parties with reference to the total support obligation. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 1, 1987.)
15 V.S.A. § 656
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 656. Computation of parental support obligation

§ 656. Computation of parental support obligation|(a) Except in situations where there is shared or split physical custody, the total child support obligation shall be divided between the parents in proportion to their respective available incomes and the noncustodial parent shall be ordered to pay, in money, his or her share of the total support obligation to the custodial parent. The custodial parent shall be presumed to spend his or her share directly on the child.(b) If the noncustodial parent's available income is less than the lowest income figure in the support guideline adopted under section 654 of this title or is less than the self-support reserve, the court shall use its discretion to determine support using the factors in section 659 of this title and shall require payment of a nominal support amount.(c) If the noncustodial parent's available income is greater than the self-support reserve but payment of a child support order based on application of the guideline would reduce the noncustodial parent's income below the self-support reserve, the noncustodial parent's share of the total support obligation shall be presumed to be the difference between the self-support reserve and his or her available income. If the noncustodial parent owes arrears to the custodial parent, the court shall not order the payment of arrears in an amount that, by itself or in combination with the noncustodial parent's share of the total support obligation, would reduce the noncustodial parent's income below the self-support reserve, unless the custodial parent can show good cause why the payment of arrears should be ordered despite the fact that such an order would drop the noncustodial parent's income below the self-support reserve. Such arrears shall remain the responsibility of the noncustodial parent and be subject to repayment at a time when the noncustodial parent's income is above the self-support reserve.(d) The court may use its discretion in determining child support in circumstances where combined available income exceeds the uppermost levels of the support guideline adopted under section 654 of this title. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 1, 1987; amended 1987, No. 54, § 5, eff. May 15, 1987; 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 18; 2003, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
15 V.S.A. § 656a
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 656a. Adjustment for additional dependents

§ 656a. Adjustment for additional dependents|(a) As used in this section, "additional dependents" means any natural and adopted children and stepchildren for whom the parent has a duty of support.(b) In any proceeding to establish or modify child support, the total child support obligation for the children who are the subject of the support order shall be adjusted if a parent is also responsible for the support of additional dependents who are not the subject of the support order. The adjustments shall be made by calculating an amount under the guidelines to represent the support obligation for additional dependents based only upon the responsible parent's available income, without any other adjustments. This amount shall be subtracted from that parent's available income prior to calculating the total child support obligation based on both parents' available income as provided in section 655 of this title.(c) The adjustment for additional dependents shall not be made to the extent that it contributes to the calculation of a support order lower than a previously existing support order for the children who are the subject of the modification hearing at which the adjustment is sought.(d) A motion for modification may not be dismissed or denied solely because the adjustment for additional dependents results in an increase of child support of ten percent or less if the increase without the adjustment is greater than ten percent. (Added 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 19.)
15 V.S.A. § 657
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 657. Shared or split physical custody

§ 657. Shared or split physical custody|(a) When each parent exercises physical custody for 30 percent or more of a calendar year, the total child support obligation shall be increased by 50 percent to reflect the additional costs of maintaining two households. Each parental support obligation shall be determined by dividing the total support obligation between the parents in proportion to their respective available incomes and in proportion to the amount of time each parent exercises physical custody. The parental support obligations shall then be offset, with the parent owing the larger amount being required to pay the difference between the two amounts to the other parent.(b) When one parent exercises physical custody for 25 percent or more but less than 30 percent of a calendar year, each parent's respective share of the total support obligation shall be determined in accordance with a shared costs table adopted by the Agency of Human Services by rule. The shared costs table shall be developed in such a way as to minimize economic disputes over parent-child contact or visitation and shall reflect the additional costs of maintaining two households by increasing the total support obligation by 50 percent.(c) In no event shall a parent be required to pay child support under subsection (a) or (b) of this section in an amount greater than the amount that would have been ordered under the support guidelines.(d) For purposes of this section, "physical custody" means keeping the children overnight. The parent having custody for the greater period of time shall be considered the custodial parent for the purposes of section 661 of this title.(e) When each parent has physical custody of at least one of the children, a theoretical support payment shall be determined for each parent for the children in the custody of the other, prorating the obligations among all children in the household. The obligations shall then be offset, with the parent owing the larger amount being required to pay the difference between the two amounts to the other parent. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. April 1, 1987; amended 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 20.)
15 V.S.A. § 659
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 659. Child support order

§ 659. Child support order|(a) The total support obligation shall be presumed to be the amount of child support needed. Upon request of a party, the court shall consider the following factors in respect to both parents. If, after consideration of these factors, the court finds that application of the guidelines is unfair to the child or to any of the parties, the court may adjust the amount of child support:  (1) The financial resources of the child. (2) The financial resources of the custodial parent. (3) The standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marital relationship not been discontinued. (4) The physical and emotional condition of the child. (5) The educational needs of the child. (6) The financial resources and needs of the noncustodial parent. (7) Inflation. (8) The costs of meeting the educational needs of either parent, if the costs are incurred for the purpose of increasing the earning capacity of the parent. (9) Extraordinary travel and other travel-related expenses incurred in exercising the right to parent-child contact. (10) Any other factors the court finds relevant.   (b) If the parties agree, the court may include in the child support order an additional amount designated for the purpose of providing for postsecondary education. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. April 1, 1987; amended 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 22; 1995, No. 59, § 6.)
15 V.S.A. § 661
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 661. Child support maintenance supplement

§ 661. Child support maintenance supplement|(a) A party may request a child support maintenance supplement to be paid while a child support obligation arising out of an action for support exists. After considering the respective financial circumstances of the parties, including gross income, assets, liabilities, including tax liabilities, and the obligation to pay child support, the court shall order payment of a child support maintenance supplement to the obligee to correct any disparity in the financial circumstances of the parties if the court finds that the disparity has resulted or will result in a lower standard of living for the child than the child would have if living with the noncustodial parent.(b) Any sum awarded under this section shall be taken into consideration in making an order under section 752 of this title.(c) On motion of either parent, a person to whom a child support maintenance supplement has previously been granted, a person previously charged with paying a child support maintenance supplement, and upon a showing of a real, substantial, and unanticipated change of circumstances, the court may annul, vary, or modify a supplement order, whether or not the order is based on a stipulation or agreement. A real, substantial, unanticipated change of circumstances shall be deemed to exist if the proportion of income of the parties varies more than 15 percent from the time the order was issued, or if either parent's gross income changes by more than 15 percent.(d) This section shall not apply to orders or modifications made prior to April 1, 1987. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. April 1, 1987; amended 2003, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 8.)
15 V.S.A. § 662
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 662. Income statements

§ 662. Income statements|(a) A party to a proceeding under this subchapter shall file an affidavit of income and assets which shall be in a form prescribed by the court administrator. A party shall provide the affidavit of income and assets to the court and the opposing party on or before the date of the case management conference scheduled or, if no conference is scheduled, at least five business days before the date of the first scheduled hearing before the magistrate. Upon request of either party, or the court, the other party shall furnish information documenting the affidavit. The court may require a party who fails to comply with this section to pay an economic penalty to the other party.(b) If a party fails to provide information as required under subsection (a) of this section, the court shall use the available evidence to estimate the noncomplying parent's income. Failure to provide the information required under subsection (a) of this section may create a presumption that the noncomplying parent's gross income is 150 percent of the most recently available annual average covered wage for all employment as calculated by the Department of Labor.(c)(1) Upon a motion filed by either party or the Office of Child Support, the court may relieve a party from a final judgment or child support order upon a showing that the income used in a default child support order was inaccurate by at least 10 percent. A showing that the court used incorrect financial information shall be considered a mistake for the purposes of Rule 60 of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure.  (2) The motion in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be filed within one year of the date the contested order was issued. (Added 1985, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 10, eff. April 1, 1987; amended 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 24; 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2011, No. 119 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)
15 V.S.A. § 664
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 664. Definitions

§ 664. Definitions|As used in this subchapter:  (1) "Parental rights and responsibilities" means the rights and responsibilities related to a child's physical living arrangements, education, medical and dental care, religion, travel, and any other matter involving a child's welfare and upbringing.  (A) "Legal responsibility" means the rights and responsibilities to determine and control various matters affecting a child's welfare and upbringing, other than routine daily care and control of the child. These matters include but are not limited to education, medical and dental care, religion and travel arrangements. Legal responsibility may be held solely or may be divided or shared. (B) "Physical responsibility" means the rights and responsibilities to provide routine daily care and control of the child subject to the right of the other parent to have contact with the child. Physical responsibility may be held solely or may be divided or shared.  (2) "Parent child contact" means the right of a parent who does not have physical responsibility to have visitation with the child. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 2019, No. 167 (Adj. Sess.), § 19, eff. October 7, 2020.)
15 V.S.A. § 665a
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 665a. Conditions of parent-child contact in cases involving domestic violence

§ 665a. Conditions of parent-child contact in cases involving domestic violence|(a) If within the prior ten years, one of the parents has been convicted of domestic assault or aggravated domestic assault against the other parent, or has been found to have committed abuse against a family or household member, as defined in section 1101 of this title, the court may award parent-child contact to that parent if the court finds that adequate provision can be made for the safety of the child and the parent who is a victim of domestic violence.(b) In a parent-child contact order issued under subsection (a) of this section, a court may:  (1) order an exchange of a child to occur in a protected setting; (2) order parent-child contact supervised by another person or agency; (3) order the perpetrator of domestic violence to participate in, to the satisfaction of the court, a program of intervention for perpetrators, where available, or other designated counseling as a condition of the visitation; (4) if alcohol or drugs were involved in the domestic abuse, order the perpetrator of domestic violence to abstain from being under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances without a prescription during the visitation and for 24 hours preceding parent-child contact; (5) order the perpetrator of domestic violence to pay a fee to defray the costs of supervised parent-child contact, provided that the perpetrator can afford to pay the fee; (6) prohibit overnight parent-child contact; (7) impose any other condition that is deemed necessary or appropriate to provide for the safety of the child, the victim of domestic violence, or another family or household member.   (c) Whether or not parent-child contact is allowed, the court may order the address of the child and the victim to be kept confidential.(d) If a court allows a family or household member to supervise parent-child contact, the court shall establish conditions to be followed during parent-child contact. (Added 2007, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 13.)
15 V.S.A. § 666
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 666. Agreements between parents

§ 666. Agreements between parents|(a) Any agreement between the parents that divides or shares parental rights and responsibilities shall be presumed to be in the best interests of the child.(b) An agreement between the parties which is a complete agreement on parental rights and responsibilities shall include provisions that address at least the following:  (1) Physical living arrangements. (2) Parent child contact. (3) Education of the minor child. (4) Medical, dental, and health care. (5) Travel arrangements. (6) Procedures for communicating about the child's welfare. (7) If parental rights and responsibilities are to be shared or divided, procedures for resolving disputes. Such procedures may include but shall not be limited to mediation and binding arbitration.   (c) If the court finds that an agreement between the parents is not in the best interests of the child or if the court finds that an agreement was not reached voluntarily the court shall refuse to approve the agreement. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 4.)
15 V.S.A. § 667
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 667. Evidence

§ 667. Evidence|(a) Evidence of conduct of a parent not related to the factors in section 665 of this title shall only be admissible for the purposes of determining parental rights and responsibilities if it is shown that the conduct affects the parent's relationship with the child.(b) Reports prepared by a person qualified as an expert under the Vermont Rules of Evidence, evaluating the best interests of the child, shall be admissible for the purposes of determining parental rights and responsibilities provided that the expert is available for cross-examination. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)
15 V.S.A. § 668
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 668. Modification of order

§ 668. Modification of order|(a) On motion of either parent or any other person to whom custody or parental rights and responsibilities have previously been granted, and upon a showing of real, substantial, and unanticipated change of circumstances, the court may annul, vary, or modify an order made under this subchapter if it is in the best interests of the child, whether or not the order is based upon a stipulation or agreement.(b) Whenever a judgment for physical responsibility is modified, the court shall order a child support modification hearing to be set and notice to be given to the parties. Unless good cause is shown to the contrary, the court shall simultaneously issue a temporary order pending the modification hearing, if adjustments to those portions of any existing child support order or wage withholding order that pertain to any child affected by the modification are necessary to ensure that support and wages are paid in amounts proportional to the modified allocation of responsibility between the parties.(c) A final order related to parental rights and responsibilities and parent-child contact issued pursuant to subdivision 665(f)(1) of this title shall not be subject to modification. A party may file a motion for modification of an order related to parental rights and responsibilities and parent-child contact issued pursuant to subdivision 665(f)(2) of this title only upon a showing of extraordinary, real, substantial, and unanticipated change of circumstances. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; amended 2011, No. 119 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2013, No. 197 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)
15 V.S.A. § 668a
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 668a. Enforcement of visitation

§ 668a. Enforcement of visitation|(a) When a noncustodial parent who is ordered to pay child support or alimony and who is awarded visitation rights fails to pay child support or alimony, the custodial parent shall not refuse to honor the noncustodial parent's visitation rights.(b) When a custodial parent refuses to honor a noncustodial parent's visitation rights, the noncustodial parent shall not fail to pay any ordered child support or alimony.(c) If a custodial parent refuses to honor a noncustodial parent's visitation rights, the court shall enforce such rights unless it finds good cause for the failure or that a modification of the visitation rights is in the best interests of the child. Unless restoration of the visitation is not in the best interests of the child, enforcement of the visitation rights shall include the restoration of the amount of visitation improperly denied. When a party files a motion for enforcement of parent-child contact under this subsection, the court shall conduct a hearing within 30 days of service of the motion.(d) A person who violates this section may be punished by contempt of court or other remedies as the court deems appropriate, including awarding attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party.(e)(1) If a custodial parent refuses to honor a noncustodial parent's visitation rights without good cause, the court may modify the parent-child contact order if found to be in the best interests of the child. Good cause shall include:   (A) a pattern or incidence of domestic or sexual violence; (B) a reasonable fear for the child's or the custodial parent's safety; or (C) a history of failure to honor the visitation schedule agreed to in the parent-child contact order.  (2) A custodial parent, upon a showing of good cause as defined in subdivision (1)(A) or (B) of this subsection, may receive an ex parte order suspending a noncustodial parent's visitation rights until a court hearing is held. A hearing shall be held within 14 days from the issuance of the order.   (f) All parent-child contact orders issued by the family division of the superior court in connection with a divorce or parentage proceeding shall bear the following statement: "A PERSON WHO FAILS TO COMPLY WITH ALL TERMS OF THE CURRENT ORDER GOVERNING PARENT-CHILD CONTACT MAY BE SUBJECT TO CONTEMPT OF COURT CHARGES. THE COURT MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL REMEDIES, INCLUDING A MODIFICATION OF THE CURRENT PARENT-CHILD CONTACT ORDER IF FOUND TO BE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD."  (Added 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 27a; amended 1995, No. 59, § 10; 2003, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2007, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 10; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238; 2017, No. 11, § 40.)
15 V.S.A. § 669
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 669. Guardian ad litem

§ 669. Guardian ad litem|In all cases involving parental rights and responsibilities the court may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the best interests of the child. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 7.)
15 V.S.A. § 670
2021 Vermont Statutes|Title 15 - Domestic Relations|Chapter 11 - Annulment and Divorce|§ 670. Access to records

§ 670. Access to records|Access to records and information pertaining to a minor child, including but not limited to medical, dental, law enforcement, and school records shall not be denied to a parent solely because that parent has not been awarded parental rights and responsibilities. The court may order that access to all or a portion of the records or information shall be denied if access is not in the best interest of the child or if access may cause detriment to the other parent including but not limited to abuse. (Added 1985, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 8.)