reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15A - Adoption Act › Chapter 7 - Prohibited and Permissible Activities in Connection With Adoption › § 7-105. Prohibited payments related to adoption

§ 7-105. Prohibited payments related to adoption
(a) Except as otherwise provided in sections 7-103 and 7-104 of this title, a person may not pay or give or offer to pay or give to any other person, or request, receive, or accept any money or anything of value, directly or indirectly, for:
(1) the placement of a minor for adoption;
(2) the consent of a parent, a guardian, or an agency to the adoption of a minor;
(3) the relinquishment of a minor to an agency for the purpose of adoption; or
(4) the recruitment of nonresident pregnant women to locate in this State for the purpose of relinquishing the child for adoption.
(b) A release from liability from past or future child support is not a violation of this section. (Added 1995, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15A - Adoption Act › Chapter 8 - Interstate Compacts on Adoption and Medical Assistance › § 8-101. Interstate compacts on adoption and medical assistance; authorization

§ 8-101. Interstate compacts on adoption and medical assistance; authorization
(a) The Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families is authorized to negotiate and enter into interstate compacts with agencies of other states for the provision of medical assistance and other services for children with special needs on behalf of whom adoption assistance is being provided by the State of Vermont or another state party to such a compact and who move into or from Vermont.
(b) As used in this article, “state” includes a state, territory, possession, or commonwealth of the United States. Compacts authorized by this article must include:
(1) a provision making it available for joinder by all states;
(2) a provision or provisions for withdrawal from the compact upon written notice to the parties, but with a period of one year between the date of the notice and the effective date of the withdrawal;
(3) a requirement that the protections afforded by or pursuant to the compact continue in force for the duration of the adoption assistance and be applicable to all children and their adoptive parents who on the effective date of the withdrawal are receiving adoption assistance from a party state other than the one in which they are resident and have their principal place of abode;
(4) a requirement that each instance of adoption assistance to which the compact applies be covered by an adoption assistance agreement in writing between the adoptive parents and the state child welfare agency of the state that undertakes to provide the adoption assistance, and further, that any such agreement be expressly for the benefit of the adopted child and enforceable by the adoptive parents and the state agency providing the adoption assistance; and
(5) such other provisions as may be appropriate to implement the proper administration of the compact.
(c) The Commissioner shall designate a compact administrator and deputies, as deemed necessary, who shall have authority to develop rules to be adopted to effectuate the terms and provisions of compacts entered into under the authority of this article. (Added 2005, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.), § 127.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 11 - General Provisions › § 1103. State tribunal and support enforcement agency

§ 1103. State tribunal and support enforcement agency
(a) The Family Division of the Superior Court is the tribunal of this State for all purposes of this title; provided, however, that the Office of Child Support may perform any tribunal function authorized under State law.
(b) The Office of Child Support is the support enforcement agency of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 11 - General Provisions › § 1104. Remedies cumulative

§ 1104. Remedies cumulative
(a) Remedies provided by this title are cumulative and do not affect the availability of remedies under other law, or the recognition of a foreign support order on the basis of comity.
(b) This title does not:
(1) provide the exclusive method of establishing or enforcing a support order under the law of this State; or
(2) grant a tribunal of this State jurisdiction to render judgment or issue an order relating to child custody or visitation, or both, in a proceeding under this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 11 - General Provisions › § 1105. Application to a resident of foreign country and foreign support proceeding

§ 1105. Application to a resident of foreign country and foreign support proceeding
(a) A tribunal of this State shall apply chapters 11 through 16 and, as applicable, chapter 17 of this title to a support proceeding involving:
(1) a foreign support order;
(2) a foreign tribunal; or
(3) an obligee, obligor, or child residing in a foreign country.
(b) A tribunal of this State that is requested to recognize and enforce a support order on the basis of comity may apply the procedural and substantive provisions of chapters 11 through 16 of this title.
(c) Chapter 17 of this title applies only to a support proceeding under the Convention. In such a proceeding, if a provision of chapter 17 is inconsistent with chapters 11 through 16 of this title, chapter 17 controls. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1201. Bases for jurisdiction over nonresident

§ 1201. Bases for jurisdiction over nonresident
(a) In a proceeding to establish or enforce a support order or to determine parentage of a child, a tribunal of this State may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident individual or the individual’s guardian or conservator for any of the following:
(1) The individual is personally served with notice of the proceeding within this State.
(2) The individual submits to the jurisdiction of this State by consent in a record by entering a general appearance, or by filing with the tribunal a responsive document having the effect of waiving any contest to personal jurisdiction.
(3) The individual resided with the child in this State.
(4) The individual resided in this State and provided prenatal expenses or support for the child.
(5) The child resides in this State as a result of the acts or directives of the individual.
(6) The individual engaged in sexual intercourse in this State and the child may have been conceived by that act of intercourse.
(7) The individual asserted parentage of a child in the putative father registry maintained in this State by the Probate Division of Superior Court in the District of Chittenden.
(8) There is any other basis consistent with the constitutions of this State and the United States for the exercise of personal jurisdiction.
(b) The bases of personal jurisdiction set forth in subsection (a) of this section or in any other law of this State may not be used to acquire personal jurisdiction for a tribunal of this State to modify a child support order of another state unless the requirements of section 1611 of this title are met, or in the case of a foreign support order, unless the requirements of section 1615 of this title are met. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1202. Duration of personal jurisdiction

§ 1202. Duration of personal jurisdiction
Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of this State in a proceeding under this title or other law of this State relating to a support order continues as long as a tribunal of this State has continuing exclusive jurisdiction to modify its order or continuing jurisdiction to enforce its order as provided by sections 1205, 1206, and 1211 of this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1203. Initiating and responding tribunal

§ 1203. Initiating and responding tribunal
Under this title, a tribunal of this State may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state, and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or foreign country. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1204. Simultaneous proceedings in another state

§ 1204. Simultaneous proceedings in another state
(a) A tribunal of this State may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition or comparable pleading is filed after a pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if:
(1) the petition or comparable pleading in this State is filed before the expiration of the time allowed in the other state or the foreign country for filing a responsive pleading challenging the exercise of jurisdiction by the other state or the foreign country;
(2) the contesting party timely challenges the exercise of jurisdiction in the other state or foreign country; and
(3) if relevant, this State is the home state of the child.
(b) A tribunal of this State may not exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition or comparable pleading is filed before a petition or comparable pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country if:
(1) the petition or comparable pleading in the other state or foreign country is filed before the expiration of the time allowed in this State for filing a responsive pleading challenging the exercise of jurisdiction by this State;
(2) the contesting party timely challenges the exercise of jurisdiction in this State; and
(3) if relevant, the other state or foreign country is the home state of the child. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1205. Continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify a child support order

§ 1205. Continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify a child support order
(a) A tribunal of this State that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of this State shall have and exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child support order if the order is the controlling order and:
(1) at the time of the filing of a request for modification, this State is the residence of the obligor, the individual obligee, or the child for whose benefit the support order is issued; or
(2) the parties consent in a record or in open court that the tribunal of this State may continue to exercise jurisdiction to modify its order, even if this State is not the residence of the obligor, the individual obligee, or the child for whose benefit the support order is issued.
(b) A tribunal of this State that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of this State may not exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the order if:
(1) all of the parties who are individuals file consent in a record with the tribunal of this State that a tribunal of another state that has jurisdiction over at least one of the parties who is an individual or that is located in the state of residence of the child may modify the order and assume continuing, exclusive jurisdiction; or
(2) its order is not the controlling order.
(c) If a tribunal of another state has issued a child support order pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act or a law substantially similar which modifies a child support order of a tribunal of this State, the tribunal of this State shall recognize the continuing, exclusive jurisdiction of the tribunal of the other state.
(d) A tribunal of this State that lacks continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify a child support order may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to modify a support order issued in that state.
(e) A temporary support order issued ex parte or pending resolution of a jurisdictional conflict does not create continuing, exclusive jurisdiction in the issuing tribunal. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1206. Continuing jurisdiction to enforce a child support order

§ 1206. Continuing jurisdiction to enforce a child support order
(a) A tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of this State may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce:
(1) the order if the order is the controlling order and has not been modified by a tribunal of another state that assumed jurisdiction pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act; or
(2) a money judgment for arrears of support and interest on the order accrued before a determination that an order of a tribunal of another state is the controlling order.
(b) A tribunal of this State having continuing jurisdiction over a support order may act as a responding tribunal to enforce the order. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1208. Child support orders for two or more obligees

§ 1208. Child support orders for two or more obligees
In responding to registrations or petitions for enforcement of two or more child support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one of which was issued by a tribunal of another state or a foreign country, a tribunal of this State shall enforce those orders in the same manner as if the orders had been issued by a tribunal of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1209. Credit for payments

§ 1209. Credit for payments
A tribunal of this State shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child support order for the support of the same child issued by a tribunal of this State, another state, or a foreign country. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1210. Application to a nonresident subject to personal jurisdiction

§ 1210. Application to a nonresident subject to personal jurisdiction
A tribunal of this State exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this title, under other law of this State relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside this State pursuant to section 1316 of this title, communicate with a tribunal outside this State pursuant to section 1317 of this title, and obtain discovery through a tribunal outside this State pursuant to section 1318 of this title. In all other respects, chapters 13 through 16 of this title do not apply, and the tribunal shall apply the procedural and substantive law of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 12 - Jurisdiction › § 1211. Continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify spousal support order

§ 1211. Continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify spousal support order
(a) A tribunal of this State issuing a spousal support order consistent with the law of this State has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the spousal support order throughout the existence of the support obligation.
(b) A tribunal of this State may not modify a spousal support order issued by a tribunal of another state or foreign country having continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over the order under the law of that state or foreign country.
(c) A tribunal of this State that has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over a spousal support order may serve as:
(1) an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce the spousal support order issued in this State; or
(2) a responding tribunal to enforce or modify its own spousal support order. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1301. Proceedings under this title

§ 1301. Proceedings under this title
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this title, this chapter applies to all proceedings under this title.
(b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this title by filing a petition in an initiating tribunal for forwarding to a responding tribunal or by filing a petition or a comparable pleading directly in a tribunal of another state or foreign country which has or can obtain personal jurisdiction over the respondent. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1302. Proceeding by a minor parent

§ 1302. Proceeding by a minor parent
A minor parent, or a guardian or other legal representative of a minor parent, may maintain a proceeding on behalf of or for the benefit of the minor’s child. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1303. Application of law of State

§ 1303. Application of law of State
Except as otherwise provided in this title, a responding tribunal of this State shall:
(1) apply the procedural and substantive law, generally applicable to similar proceedings originating in this State, and may exercise all powers and provide all remedies available in those proceedings; and
(2) determine the duty of support and the amount payable in accordance with the law and support guidelines of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1304. Duties of initiating tribunal

§ 1304. Duties of initiating tribunal
(a) Upon the filing of a petition authorized by this title, an initiating tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support shall forward one copy of the petition and its accompanying documents:
(1) to the responding tribunal or appropriate support enforcement agency in the responding state; or
(2) if the identity of the responding tribunal is unknown, to the state information agency of the responding state with a request that they be forwarded to the appropriate tribunal and that receipt be acknowledged.
(b) If requested by the responding tribunal, a tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support shall issue a certificate or other document, and make findings required by the law of the responding state. If the responding tribunal is in a foreign country, upon request, the tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support shall specify the amount of support sought to convert that amount into the equivalent amount in the foreign currency under applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported, and provide any other documents necessary to satisfy the requirements of the responding foreign tribunal. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1305. Duties and powers of responding tribunal

§ 1305. Duties and powers of responding tribunal
(a) When a responding tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to subsection 1301(b) of this title, it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner where and when it was filed.
(b) A responding tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support, to the extent not prohibited by other law, may do one or more of the following:
(1) issue or enforce a support order, modify a child support order, determine the controlling child support order, or render a judgment to determine parentage;
(2) order an obligor to comply with a support order, specifying the amount and the manner of compliance;
(3) order income withholding;
(4) determine the amount of any arrearages, and specify a method of payment;
(5) enforce orders by civil or criminal contempt, or both;
(6) set aside property for satisfaction of the support order;
(7) place liens and order execution on the obligor’s property;
(8) order an obligor to keep the tribunal informed of the obligor’s current residential address, electronic-mail address, telephone number, employer, address of employment, and telephone number at the place of employment;
(9) issue a bench warrant for an obligor who has failed after proper notice to appear at a hearing ordered by the tribunal and enter the bench warrant in any local and State computer systems for criminal warrants;
(10) order the obligor to seek appropriate employment by specified methods;
(11) award reasonable attorney’s fees and other fees and costs; and
(12) grant any other available remedy.
(c) A responding tribunal of this State shall include in a support order issued under this title, or in the documents accompanying the order, the calculations on which the support order is based.
(d) A responding tribunal of this State may not condition the payment of a support order issued under this title upon compliance by a party with provisions for visitation.
(e) If a responding tribunal of this State issues an order under this title, the tribunal shall send a copy of the order to the petitioner and the respondent and to the initiating tribunal, if any.
(f) If requested to enforce a support order, arrears, or judgment or modify a support order stated in a foreign currency, a responding tribunal of this State shall convert the amount stated in the foreign currency to the equivalent amount in dollars under the applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1306. Inappropriate tribunal

§ 1306. Inappropriate tribunal
If a petition or comparable pleading is received by an inappropriate tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support, it shall forward the pleading and accompanying documents to an appropriate tribunal in this State or another state and notify the petitioner where and when the pleading was sent. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1307. Duties of support enforcement

§ 1307. Duties of support enforcement
(a) A support enforcement agency of this State, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this title.
(b) A support enforcement agency of this State that is providing services to the petitioner shall:
(1) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of this State or another state or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent;
(2) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;
(3) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;
(4) within two 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;
(5) within two days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of a communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent’s attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and
(6) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.
(c) 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:
(1) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or
(2) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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 redirect payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state pursuant to section 1319 of this title.
(f) This title 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. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1308. Duty of the Attorney General

§ 1308. Duty of the Attorney General
(a) If the Attorney General determines that the support enforcement agency is neglecting or refusing to provide services under this title, the Attorney General may order the agency to perform its duties under this title or may provide those services directly to the individual.
(b) The Attorney General may determine that a foreign country has established a reciprocal arrangement for child support with this State and take appropriate action for notification of the determination. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1310. Duties of the Office of Child Support

§ 1310. Duties of the Office of Child Support
(a) The Office of Child Support is the State Information Agency under this title.
(b) The State Information Agency shall:
(1) compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of the tribunals in this State which have jurisdiction under this title and any support enforcement agencies in this State and transmit a copy to the state information agency of every other state;
(2) maintain a register of names and addresses of tribunals and support enforcement agencies received from other states;
(3) forward to the appropriate tribunal in the county in this State in which the obligee who is an individual or the obligor resides, or in which the obligor’s property is believed to be located, all documents concerning a proceeding under this title received from another state or a foreign country; and
(4) obtain information concerning the location of the obligor or obligee and the obligor’s or obligee’s property within this State not exempt from execution, by such means as postal verification and federal or State locator services, examination of telephone directories, requests for the obligor’s or obligee’s address from employers, and examination of governmental records, including, to the extent not prohibited by other law, those relating to real property, vital statistics, law enforcement, taxation, motor vehicles, driver’s licenses, and Social Security. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1311. Pleadings and accompanying documents

§ 1311. Pleadings and accompanying documents
(a) In a proceeding under this title, a petitioner seeking to establish a support order to determine parentage of a child or to register and modify a support order of a tribunal of another state or a foreign country must file a petition. Unless otherwise ordered under section 1312 of this title, the petition or accompanying documents must provide, so far as known, the name, residential address, and Social Security numbers of the obligor and the obligee or the parent and alleged parent, and the name, sex, residential address, Social Security number, and date of birth of each child for whose benefit support is sought or whose parentage is to be determined. Unless filed at the time of registration, the petition must be accompanied by a copy of any support order known to have been issued by another tribunal. The petition may include any other information that may assist in locating or identifying the respondent.
(b) The petition must specify the relief sought. The petition and accompanying documents must conform substantially with the requirements imposed by the forms mandated by federal law for use in cases filed by a support enforcement agency. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1312. Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances

§ 1312. Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances
If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, that information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or the public. After a hearing in which a tribunal takes into consideration the health, safety, or liberty of the party or child, the tribunal may order disclosure of information that the tribunal determines to be in the interest of justice. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1313. Costs and fees

§ 1313. Costs and fees
(a) The petitioner must not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.
(b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of this State may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and the obligee’s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the initiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by other law. Attorney’s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney’s own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs, and expenses.
(c) The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney’s fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In an enforcement proceeding under chapter 16 of this title, a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1314. Limited immunity of petitioner

§ 1314. Limited immunity of petitioner
(a) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under this title before a responding tribunal, whether in person, by private attorney, or through services provided by the support enforcement agency, does not confer personal jurisdiction over the petitioner in another proceeding.
(b) A petitioner is not subject to service of civil process while physically present in this State to participate in a proceeding under this title.
(c) The immunity granted by this section does not extend to civil litigation based on acts unrelated to a proceeding under this title committed by a party while physically present in this State to participate in the proceeding. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1315. Nonparentage as defense

§ 1315. Nonparentage as defense
A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1316. Special Rules of Evidence and Procedure

§ 1316. Special Rules of Evidence and Procedure
(a) The physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual in a tribunal of this State is not required for the establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order or the rendition of a judgment determining parentage of a child.
(b) An affidavit, a document substantially complying with federally mandated forms, or a document incorporated by reference in any of them, which would not be excluded under the hearsay rule if given in person, is admissible in evidence if given under penalty of perjury by a party or witness residing outside this State.
(c) A copy of the record of child support payments certified as a true copy of the original by the custodian of the record may be forwarded to a responding tribunal. The copy is evidence of facts asserted in it, and is admissible to show whether payments were made.
(d) Copies of bills for testing for parentage of a child, and for prenatal and postnatal health care of the mother and child, furnished to the adverse party at least 10 days before trial, are admissible in evidence to prove the amount of the charges billed and that the charges were reasonable, necessary, and customary.
(e) Documentary evidence transmitted from outside this State to a tribunal of this State by telephone, telecopier, or other electronic means that do not provide an original record may not be excluded from evidence on an objection based on the means of transmission.
(f) In a proceeding under this title, a tribunal of this State shall permit a party or witness residing outside this State to be deposed or to testify under penalty of perjury by telephone, audiovisual means, or other electronic means at a designated tribunal or other location. A tribunal of this State shall cooperate with other tribunals in designating an appropriate location for the deposition or testimony.
(g) If a party called to testify at a civil hearing refuses to answer on the ground that the testimony may be self-incriminating, the trier of fact may draw an adverse inference from the refusal.
(h) A privilege against disclosure of communications between spouses does not apply in a proceeding under this title.
(i) The defense of immunity based on the relationship of husband and wife or parent and child does not apply in a proceeding under this title.
(j) A voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, certified as a true copy, is admissible to establish parentage of the child. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1317. Communications between tribunals

§ 1317. Communications between tribunals
A tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support may communicate with a tribunal outside this State in a record, or by telephone, electronic mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws of that state, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status of a proceeding. A tribunal of this State or the Office of Child Support may furnish similar information by similar means to a tribunal outside this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1318. Assistance with discovery

§ 1318. Assistance with discovery
A tribunal or the Office of Child Support of this State may:
(1) request a tribunal outside this State to assist in obtaining discovery; and
(2) upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 13 - Civil Provisions of General Application › § 1319. Receipt and disbursement of payments

§ 1319. Receipt and disbursement of payments
(a) A support enforcement agency or tribunal of this State shall disburse promptly any amounts received pursuant to a support order, as directed by the order. The agency or tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another state or a foreign country a certified statement by the custodian of the record of the amounts and dates of all payments received.
(b) If neither the obligor, nor the obligee who is an individual, nor the child resides in this State, upon request from the support enforcement agency of this State or another state, the Office of Child Support or a tribunal of this State shall:
(1) direct that the support payment be made to the support enforcement agency in the state in which the obligee is receiving services; and
(2) issue and send to the obligor’s employer a conforming income-withholding order or an administrative notice of change of payee, reflecting the redirected payments.
(c) The Office of Child Support, upon receiving redirected payments from another state pursuant to a law similar to that in subsection (b) of this section, shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of the other state a certified statement by the custodian of the record of the amount and dates of all payments received. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 14 - Establishment of a Support Order or Determination of Parentage › § 1401. Establishment of support order

§ 1401. Establishment of support order
(a) If a support order entitled to recognition under this title has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this State with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if:
(1) the individual seeking the order resides outside the State; or
(2) the support enforcement agency seeking the order is located outside this State.
(b) The tribunal may issue a temporary child support order if the tribunal determines that such an order is appropriate and the individual ordered to pay is:
(1) a presumed father of the child;
(2) petitioning to have his paternity adjudicated;
(3) identified as the father of the child through genetic testing;
(4) an alleged father who has declined to submit to genetic testing;
(5) shown by clear and convincing evidence to be the father of the child;
(6) an acknowledged father as provided by applicable State law;
(7) the mother of the child; or
(8) an individual who has been ordered to pay child support in a previous proceeding and the order has not been reversed or vacated.
(c) Upon finding, after notice and opportunity to be heard, that an obligor owes a duty of support, the tribunal shall issue a support order directed to the obligor and may issue other orders pursuant to section 1305 of this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 14 - Establishment of a Support Order or Determination of Parentage › § 1402. Proceeding to determine parentage

§ 1402. Proceeding to determine parentage
A tribunal of this State authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this title or a law or procedure substantially similar to this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1501. Employer’s receipt of an income withholding from another state

§ 1501. Employer’s receipt of an income withholding from another state
An income withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person defined as the obligor’s employer under the income withholding law of this State without first filing a petition or comparable pleading or registering the order with a tribunal of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1502. Employer’s compliance with an income withholding order from another state

§ 1502. Employer’s compliance with an income withholding order from another state
(a) Upon receipt of an income withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor.
(b) The employer shall treat an income withholding order issued in another state which appears regular on its face as if it had been issued by a tribunal of this State.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this section and section 1503 of this title, the employer shall withhold and distribute the funds as directed in the withholding order by complying with terms of the order which specify:
(1) the duration and amount of periodic payments of current child support, stated as a sum certain;
(2) the person designated to receive payments and the address to which the payments are to be forwarded;
(3) medical support, whether in the form of periodic cash payment, stated as a sum certain, or ordering the obligor to provide health insurance coverage for the child under a policy available through the obligor’s employment;
(4) the amount of periodic payments of fees and costs for a support enforcement agency, the issuing tribunal, and the obligee’s attorney, stated as sums certain; and
(5) the amount of periodic payments of arrearages and interest on arrearages, stated as sums certain.
(d) The employer shall comply with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment for withholding from income with respect to:
(1) the employer’s fee for processing an income withholding order;
(2) the maximum amount permitted to be withheld from the obligor’s income; and
(3) the time periods within which the employer must implement the withholding order and forward the child support payment. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1503. Employer’s compliance with two or more income withholding orders

§ 1503. Employer’s compliance with two or more income withholding orders
If the obligor’s employer receives two or more income withholding orders with respect to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment to establish the priorities for withholding and allocating income withheld for two or more child support obligees. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1504. Immunity from civil liability

§ 1504. Immunity from civil liability
An employer who complies with an income withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this chapter is not subject to civil liability to an individual or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from the obligor’s income. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1505. Penalties for noncompliance

§ 1505. Penalties for noncompliance
An employer who willfully fails to comply with an income withholding order issued by another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance with an order issued by a tribunal of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1506. Contest by an obligor

§ 1506. Contest by an obligor
(a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an income withholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer in this State by registering the order in a tribunal of this State and filing a contest to that order as provided in chapter 16 of this title, or otherwise contesting the order in the same manner as if the order had been issued by a tribunal of this State.
(b) The obligor shall give notice of the contest to:
(1) a support enforcement agency providing services to the obligee;
(2) each employer that has directly received an income withholding order relating to the obligor; and
(3) the person designated to receive payments in the income withholding order or, if no person is designated, to the obligee. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 15 - Enforcement of Support Order Without Registration › § 1507. Administrative enforcement of orders

§ 1507. Administrative enforcement of orders
(a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency of this State.
(b) Upon receipt of the documents, the support enforcement agency, without initially seeking to register the order, shall consider and, if appropriate, use any administrative procedure authorized by the law of this State to enforce a support order or an income withholding order, or both. If the obligor does not contest administrative enforcement, the order need not be registered. If the obligor contests the validity or administrative enforcement of the order, the support enforcement agency shall register the order pursuant to this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15B - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (1996) › Chapter 16 - Registration, Enforcement, and Modification of a Support Order › § 1601. Registration of an order for enforcement

§ 1601. Registration of an order for enforcement
A support order or income withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order may be registered in this State for enforcement. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)