Sec. 10.

(1) Based on criteria established by the office and the state court administrative office, the office may centralize administrative enforcement procedures for services provided under title IV-D. The office may also centralize enforcement activities for friend of the court cases based on criteria established by the office and the state court administrative office. The criteria for centralizing enforcement activities for a friend of the court case shall require, at a minimum, both of the following:

(a) That support enforcement measures undertaken by the office of the friend of the court have been unsuccessful, including, but not limited to, a lack of regular and substantial payments against the arrearage.

(b) That the arrearage is equal to or greater than the amount of support payable either for 12 months or, if the recipient of support requests centralization of enforcement activities, for 6 months.

(2) Each office of the friend of the court shall provide the office with information necessary for the office to identify cases eligible for centralized enforcement, as well as case information necessary for the office to pursue enforcement remedies.

(3) The office's centralized enforcement may include, but is not limited to, 1 or more of the following:

(a) An enforcement remedy available under the support and parenting time enforcement act, 1982 PA 295, MCL 552.601 to 552.650.

(b) Contracting with a public or private collection agency. Except upon the request of the recipient of support, an additional fee shall not be charged to the recipient of support for collection services by any public or private collection agency contracting under this subdivision.

(c) Contracting with a public or private locator service.

(d) Publishing a delinquent payer's name.

(e) A local or regional agreement with a law enforcement agency or prosecutor.

(4) The office shall notify the custodial parent in each friend of the court case that the office selects for centralized enforcement that the parent's case has been selected.

(5) The office shall develop a system to track each friend of the court case selected for centralized enforcement so that the office of the friend of the court from which the case is selected can be identified. The office shall process collections resulting from centralized enforcement through the SDU and, for the purpose of child support incentive calculations, shall credit those collections to the office of the friend of the court identified with the case. In consultation with the state court administrative office, the office shall establish policies and procedures for expenses related to enforcement activities under this act.

(6) This section does not limit the office's ability to enter into agreements for child support enforcement with an office of the friend of the court, law enforcement agency, prosecutor, government unit, or private entity as that ability existed on the effective date of this section.

(7) Within 1 year after the effective date of this section and within 1 year after the deadline for the previous report, the office shall submit an annual report to the legislature regarding friend of the court cases assigned to a private collection agency for support collection under a contract with the office. The report shall include at least all of the following for each private collection agency that was assigned friend of the court cases for support collection:

(a) Total number of friend of the court cases assigned.

(b) Total number of those friend of the court cases in which a support payment was received.

(c) Total support collected for those friend of the court cases.

(d) Total support due for those friend of the court cases.

History: Add. 2002, Act 564, Eff. Mar. 31, 2003