769.307769.307 Duties of support enforcement agency. 769.307(1)(1) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this chapter. 769.307(2)(2) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall do all of the following as applicable: 769.307(2)(a)(a) Take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of this state, another state, or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent. 769.307(2)(b)(b) Request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time and place for a hearing. 769.307(2)(c)(c) Make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties. 769.307(2)(d)(d) Within 2 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. 769.307(2)(e)(e) Within 2 days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent’s attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner. 769.307(2)(f)(f) Notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained. 769.307(3m)(3m) 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 to do either of the following: 769.307(3m)(a)(a) Ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order. 769.307(3m)(b)(b) If 2 or more child support orders exist and the identity of the controlling order has not been determined, ensure that a request for such a determination is made in a tribunal having jurisdiction to do so. 769.307(4)(4) 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. 769.307(5)(5) 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 under s. 769.319. 769.307(6)(6) This chapter 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. 769.308769.308 Duty of attorney general. 769.308(1)(1) If the attorney general determines that the support enforcement agency is neglecting or refusing to provide services to an individual, the attorney general may order the agency to perform its duties under this chapter or may provide those services directly to the individual. 769.308(2)(2) 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. 769.309769.309 Private counsel. An individual may employ private counsel to represent the individual in proceedings authorized by this chapter. 769.309 HistoryHistory: 1993 a. 326. 769.31769.31 Duties of state information agency. 769.31(1)(1) The department of children and families is the state information agency under this chapter. 769.31(2)(2) The state information agency shall do all of the following: 769.31(2)(a)(a) Compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of the tribunals in this state that have jurisdiction under this chapter and any support enforcement agencies in this state and transmit a copy to the state information agency of every other state. 769.31(2)(b)(b) Maintain a register of names and addresses of tribunals and support enforcement agencies received from other states. 769.31(2)(c)(c) 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 chapter received from another state or a foreign country. 769.31(2)(d)(d) Obtain information concerning the location of the obligor and the obligor’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 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. 769.311769.311 Pleadings and accompanying documents. 769.311(1)(1) In a proceeding under this chapter, 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 s. 769.312, the petition or accompanying documents must provide, so far as known, the names, residential addresses, 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. 769.311(2)(2) 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. 769.312769.312 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 the 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. 769.313(1)(1) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. 769.313(2)(2) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of this state may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney 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 responding state or foreign country, except as provided by other law. Attorney 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. 769.313(3)(3) The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under subch. VI, a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change. 769.314769.314 Limited immunity of petitioner. 769.314(1)(1) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under this chapter 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. 769.314(2)(2) A petitioner is not amenable to service of civil process while physically present in this state to participate in a proceeding under this chapter. 769.314(3)(3) The immunity granted by this section does not extend to civil litigation based on acts unrelated to a proceeding under this chapter committed by a party while physically present in this state to participate in the proceeding. 769.315769.315 Nonparentage as defense. A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or under law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under this chapter. 769.315 HistoryHistory: 1993 a. 326. 769.316769.316 Special rules of evidence and procedure. 769.316(1)(1) 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. 769.316(2)(2) An affidavit, a document substantially complying with federally mandated forms, or a document incorporated by reference in any of them, that 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. 769.316(3)(3) 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. 769.316(4)(4) Copies of bills for testing for parentage of a child, or for prenatal and postnatal health care of the mother and child, or copies of reports of medical assistance payments under subch. IV of ch. 49 for such testing or prenatal and postnatal health care, furnished to the adverse party at least 10 days before trial, are admissible in evidence to prove the amount of the charges billed or the amount of the medical assistance paid and that the charges or payments were reasonable, necessary, and customary. 769.316(5)(5) 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. 769.316(6)(6) In a proceeding under this chapter, 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. 769.316(7)(7) 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. 769.316(8)(8) A privilege against disclosure of communications between spouses does not apply in a proceeding under this chapter. 769.316(9)(9) The defense of immunity based on the relationship of husband and wife or parent and child does not apply in a proceeding under this chapter. 769.316(10)(10) A voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, certified as a true copy, is admissible to establish parentage of the child. 769.317769.317 Communications between tribunals. A tribunal of this state 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, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status of a proceeding. A tribunal of this state may furnish similar information by similar means to a tribunal outside this state. 769.318769.318 Assistance with discovery. A tribunal of this state may do all of the following: 769.318(1)(1) Request a tribunal outside this state to assist in obtaining discovery. 769.318(2)(2) Upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this state. 769.319769.319 Receipt and disbursement of payments. 769.319(1)(1) A support enforcement agency, its designee, or a tribunal of this state shall disburse promptly any amounts received under a support order, as directed by the order. The agency, its designee, or the 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. 769.319(2)(2) 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 support enforcement agency of this state or a tribunal of this state shall do all of the following: 769.319(2)(a)(a) Direct that the support payment be made to the support enforcement agency in the state in which the obligee is receiving services. 769.319(2)(b)(b) 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. 769.319(3)(3) The support enforcement agency of this state receiving redirected payments from another state under a law similar to sub. (2) 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. ESTABLISHMENT OF SUPPORT ORDER
OR DETERMINATION OF PARENTAGE
769.401769.401 Petition to establish support order. 769.401(1)(1) If a support order entitled to recognition under this chapter has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this state with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if any of the following applies: 769.401(1)(a)(a) The individual seeking the order resides outside this state. 769.401(1)(b)(b) The support enforcement agency seeking the order is located outside this state. 769.401(2)(2) The tribunal may issue a temporary child support order if the tribunal determines that such an order is appropriate and if the individual ordered to pay is any of the following: 769.401(2)(b)(b) An individual who is petitioning to have his paternity adjudicated. 769.401(2)(c)(c) An individual who has been identified as the father of the child through genetic testing. 769.401(2)(d)(d) An alleged father of the child who has declined to submit to genetic testing. 769.401(2)(e)(e) An individual who has been shown by clear and convincing evidence to be the father of the child. 769.401(2)(h)(h) An individual who has been ordered to pay child support in a previous proceeding and the order has not been reversed or vacated. 769.401(3)(3) Upon finding, after notice and an 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 under s. 769.305.
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Chs. 765-770, The Family
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