Opinion ID: 1295254
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Child Support for Molly.

Text: In 1992, when the district court entered the original decree of dissolution in this matter, the statutes governing child support stated obligations for child support may include support for a child who is between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two years who ... has been accepted for admission to a college, university or community college and the next regular term has not yet begun. Iowa Code § 598.1(2) (1991). In the original decree, the district court retained jurisdiction to consider a further application at the appropriate time to determine whether or not the child support obligation should continue in accordance with section 598.1(2) of the 1991 Code. In 1997, the legislature amended section 598.1. 1997 Iowa Acts ch. 175, 185 (codified at Iowa Code 598.1(9) (Supp.1997)). The amendment reduced the period of time over which a court could award child support. It only allowed a party to receive child support for a child who was between the ages of eighteen and nineteen years of age as long as the child was engaged full-time in completing high school graduation or equivalency requirements in a manner which is reasonably expected to result in completion of the requirements prior to the person reaching nineteen years of age. Id. The amendment removed the discretion of the court to award child support for a child between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two years who is enrolled or attending a course of study after high school. Id. James filed his application to determine the amount of support for Molly in 2001. Therefore, when the court considered James's child support obligation for Molly, the court did not have authority to award child support for Molly after she reached the age of eighteen and had graduated from high school. This does not mean, however, that James and Dorothy do not have an obligation to support Molly after she graduates from high school. If Molly is entitled to a postsecondary education subsidy, the subsidy may begin upon graduation from high school if she is accepted for admission to a college, university, or community college, and the next regular term has not begun. Iowa Code § 598.1(8) (2001).