Sec. 3a.

(1) “Court” means the appropriate circuit court of this state and, when the context requires, means the appropriate court of any other state as defined in a substantially similar reciprocal law.

(2) “Duty of support” means any duty of support owed to an obligee whether imposed or imposable by law or by order, decree, or judgment of any court, whether temporary or final or whether incidental to an action for divorce, separation, separate maintenance, or otherwise and includes the duty to pay arrearages of support past due and unpaid. “Duty of support” also includes the duty to reimburse a state or political subdivision for support furnished to an obligee.

(3) “Foreign support order” means a support order issued by a state other than Michigan.

(4) “Governor” means any person performing the functions of governor or the executive authority of any state covered by this or a substantially reciprocal law.

(5) “Initiating court” means the court in which a proceeding is commenced.

(6) “Initiating state” means a state in which a proceeding pursuant to this or a substantially similar reciprocal law is commenced.

(7) “Interstate central registry” means the entity in a state that is established pursuant to federal regulation and that is responsible for receiving, reviewing, forwarding, and responding to inquiries about interstate child support actions.

(8) “Law” means both common and statutory law.

(9) “Obligee” means a person, including a state or political subdivision, to whom a duty of support is owed or a person, including a state or political subdivision, who has commenced a proceeding for enforcement of an alleged duty of support or for registration of a support order. It is immaterial if the person to whom a duty of support is owed is a recipient of public assistance.

(10) “Obligor” means any person owing a duty of support or against whom a proceeding for the enforcement of a duty of support or registration of a support order is commenced.

(11) “Office of the friend of the court” means the agency created in section 3 of Act No. 294 of the Public Acts of 1982, being section 552.503 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.

History: Add. 1985, Act 172, Eff. Mar. 1, 1986 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 241, Imd. Eff. Oct. 10, 1990