Opinion ID: 1913191
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Effect of Amendment to Section 598.21(4).

Text: Section 598.21(4) requires that the supreme court maintain uniform child support guidelines and criteria and review the guidelines and criteria at least once every four years. Effective July 1, 1993, the legislature amended section 598.21(4) by adding the following language: It is the intent of the general assembly that, to the extent possible within the requirements of federal law, the court and the child support recovery unit consider the individual facts of each judgment or case in the application of the guidelines and determine the support obligation, accordingly. It is also the intent of the general assembly that in the supreme court's review of the guidelines, the supreme court shall do both of the following: emphasize the ability of the court to apply the guidelines in a just and appropriate manner based upon the individual facts of a judgment or case; and in determining monthly child support payments, consider other children for whom either parent is legally responsible for support and other child support obligations actually paid by either party pursuant to a court or administrative order. 1993 Iowa Acts ch. 79, § 48 (emphasis added). The court of appeals interpreted this amendment to require the district court to consider a parent's legal responsibility to support other children in a manner similar to court-ordered child support obligations. Because court-ordered child support obligations are a deduction from gross income in arriving at a parent's net income, the court of appeals concluded that a similar deduction must be made for the hypothetical amount a parent would be obligated to pay as child support for children who are not the subject of the pending support proceeding. This procedure is contrary to the manner in which we have previously applied the guidelines. See Gilley v. McCarthy, 469 N.W.2d 666, 668 (Iowa 1991). We do not agree with the court of appeals' conclusion that the amendment is a mandate to district courts to employ a new procedure for applying the current support guidelines. When our court first set out to establish uniform support guidelines, we appointed a task force comprised of judges, attorneys, legislators, and staff members of the Department of Human Services. After much study this task force presented to our court proposed uniform guidelines. These proposed guidelines were then circulated to members of the bar and the public for comment. Finally, after some revision, our court issued the uniform support guidelines in September 1989. We adopted revised guidelines in October 1990. We believe the legislature intended that a similar studied approach be used in determining whether the guidelines should be revised to factor in parents' support obligations for other children. The plain language of the amendment says that  in the supreme court's review of the guidelines, the supreme court shall do both of the following: ... consider ... 1993 Iowa Acts ch. 79, § 48 (emphasis added). We need not look for a statute's meaning beyond its express language when the language is clear and the meaning is obvious. See Iowa R.App.P. 14(f)(13). The amendment to section 598.21(4) is directed to the supreme court and our review of the guidelines. It does not mandate a specific change, only that consideration be given in some manner for support provided for other children for whom either parent is responsible. Perhaps what the court of appeals has suggested will ultimately be found a desirable way to address the legislature's concern and accommodate the needs of other children who are not the subject of the support proceeding. However, we believe the legislature intended that such a decision be made after the opportunity for broad input and extensive discussion during the guidelines review process. Consequently, any changes in the guidelines and their application must await the completion of that review. We now determine the correct amount of support under our current guidelines, applying them in accordance with existing case law.