49.22 Child and spousal support; establishment of paternity; medical liability.

(1) There is created a child and spousal support and establishment of paternity and medical support liability program in the department. The purpose of this program is to establish paternity when possible, to establish or modify support obligations, to enforce support obligations owed by parents to their children and maintenance obligations owed to spouses or former spouses with whom the children reside in this state or owed in other states if the support order was issued in this state or owed in other states if the parent, spouse, or former spouse resides in this state, to locate persons who are alleged to have taken their child in violation of s. 948.31 or of similar laws in other states, and to locate and value property of any person having a support duty. To accomplish the objectives of this program and of other assistance programs under this chapter, county and state agencies will cooperate with one another to implement a child and spousal support and paternity establishment and medical support liability program in accordance with state and federal laws, regulations, and rules and to assure proper distribution of benefits of all assistance programs authorized under this chapter.

(2) The department shall constitute the state location service which shall assist in locating parents who have deserted their children and other persons liable for support of dependents or persons who are alleged to have taken their child in violation of s. 948.31 or of similar laws in another state, and in locating and valuing property of any person having a support duty.

(2m)

(a) The department may request from any person in this state information it determines appropriate and necessary for the administration of this section, ss. 49.141 to 49.161, 49.19, 49.46, 49.468, 49.47, and 49.471 and programs carrying out the purposes of 7 USC 2011 to 2029. Unless access to the information is prohibited or restricted by law, or unless the person has good cause, as determined by the department in accordance with federal law and regulations, for refusing to cooperate, the person shall make a good faith effort to provide this information within 7 days after receiving a request under this paragraph. Except as provided in subs. (2p) and (2r) and subject to sub. (12), the department or the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may disclose information obtained under this paragraph only in the administration of this section, ss. 49.141 to 49.161, 49.19, 49.46, 49.47, and 49.471 and programs carrying out the purposes of 7 USC 2011 to 2029. Employees of the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) are subject to s. 49.83.

(am) In conjunction with any request for information under par. (a), including a request made by subpoena under par. (b), the department or county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) shall advise the person of the time by which the information must be provided and of any consequences to the person under par. (d) that may result from a failure to respond or comply with the request.

(b) The department or county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may issue a subpoena, in substantially the form authorized under s. 885.02, to compel the production of financial information and other documentary evidence in the administration of this section, ss. 49.145, 49.19, 49.46, 49.47, and 49.471 and programs carrying out the purposes of 7 USC 2011 to 2029.

(bc) A person in this state shall comply with an administrative subpoena that is issued from another state to compel the production of financial information or other documentary evidence for purposes comparable to those specified in par. (b).

(c) A person is not liable to any person for any of the following:

1. Allowing access to financial or other records by the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) in response to a request under par. (a) or a subpoena described in par. (bc).

2. Disclosing information from financial or other records to the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) in response to a request under par. (a) or a subpoena described in par. (bc).

3. Any other action taken in good faith to comply with this section or a subpoena described in par. (bc) or to comply with a request for information or access to records from the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) in the administration of this section, ss. 49.145, 49.19, 49.46, 49.47, and 49.471 and programs carrying out the purposes of 7 USC 2011 to 2029.

(d) Any person who fails to respond to or comply with a subpoena described in par. (bc) or a request under par. (a) by the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may be required to pay a forfeiture in an amount determined by the department by rule.

(2p) Except as provided in sub. (12), the department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may disclose to a parent with legal custody of a child, upon the parent's request, the last-known address, and the name and address of the last-known employer, of the child's other parent if that other parent owes a support obligation to the child and is in arrears in the payment of the support.

(2r) The department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may, to the extent permitted under federal law, disclose information obtained under sub. (2m) to the department of revenue for the purposes of locating persons, or the assets of persons, who have failed to file tax returns, who have underreported their taxable income or who are delinquent taxpayers, identifying fraudulent tax returns or providing information for tax-related prosecutions.

(3) The department, acting as a state location service, shall furnish all services under sub. (2) to any similarly appointed agency of another state which by its laws is authorized to furnish such services to this state or its agencies.

(3m) The department, acting as a state location service, shall furnish services under sub. (2) upon request to the department of health services, a county department under s. 46.215, 46.22 or 46.23 or a child welfare agency that is administering a program operated under 42 USC 620 to 628b or 42 USC 670 to 679a.

(4) Except as provided in this section, no person may use or disclose information obtained by the state location service. Any person violating this subsection may be fined not less than $25 nor more than $500 or imprisoned for not more than one year in the county jail or both.

(6) The department shall establish, pursuant to federal and state laws, rules and regulations, a uniform system of fees for services provided under this section to individuals not receiving aid under s. 48.645, 49.19, 49.47, or 49.471; benefits under s. 49.148, 49.155, or 49.79; foster care maintenance payments under 42 USC 670 to 679a; or kinship care payments under s. 48.57 (3m) or long-term kinship care payments under s. 48.57 (3n). The system of fees may take into account an individual's ability to pay. Any fee paid and collected under this subsection may be retained by the county providing the service except for the fee specified in 42 USC 653 (e) (2) for federal parent locator services.

(7) The department may represent the state in any action to establish paternity or to establish or enforce a support or maintenance obligation. The department may delegate its authority to represent the state in any action to establish paternity or to establish or enforce a support or maintenance obligation under this section to an attorney responsible for support enforcement under s. 59.53 (6) (a) pursuant to a contract entered into under s. 59.53 (5). The department shall ensure that any such contract is for an amount reasonable and necessary to assure quality service. The department may, by such a contract, authorize a county to contract with any attorney, collection agency or other person to collect unpaid child support or maintenance. If a county fails to fully implement the programs under s. 59.53 (5), the department may implement them and may contract with any appropriate person to obtain necessary services. The department shall establish a formula for disbursing funds appropriated under s. 20.437 (2) (md) to carry out a contract under this subsection.

(7g) The department shall provide all of the following:

(a) Training to hospital staff members concerning the acknowledgment that is prescribed by the state registrar under s. 69.15 (3) (b) 3. and concerning the significance and benefits of, and alternatives to, of establishing paternity.

(b) The written information that is required to be provided to parents under s. 69.14 (1) (cm).

(7m) The department may contract with or employ a collection agency or other person to enforce a support obligation of a parent who is delinquent in making support payments and may contract with or employ an attorney to appear in an action in state or federal court to enforce such an obligation. To pay for the department's administrative costs of implementing this subsection, the department may charge a fee to counties, use federal matching funds or funds retained by the department under s. 49.24 (2) (c), or use up to 30 percent of this state's share of a collection made under this subsection on behalf of a recipient of aid to families with dependent children or a recipient of kinship care payments under s. 48.57 (3m) or long-term kinship care payments under s. 48.57 (3n).

(8) The department may charge other states and counties seeking collection of child and spousal support for any administrative costs it incurs in providing services related to interstate child support collections, the federal parent locator service under 42 USC 653, the interception of unemployment compensation under 42 USC 654 or the withholding of state and federal income tax refunds under s. 49.855 and 42 USC 664.

(9) The department shall promulgate rules that provide a standard for courts to use in determining a child support obligation based upon a percentage of the gross income and assets of either or both parents. The rules shall provide for consideration of the income of each parent and the amount of physical placement with each parent in determining a child support obligation in cases in which a child has substantial periods of physical placement with each parent.

(11)

(a) The department shall disclose to a consumer reporting agency, as defined under 45 CFR 303.105 (a), the amount of overdue child support owed by a parent. At least 20 business days before disclosing the information to the consumer reporting agency, the department shall notify the parent and inform the parent of the methods available for contesting the accuracy of the information.

(b) The department shall notify a consumer reporting agency within 30 days if any amounts reported to the consumer reporting agency under par. (a) were erroneous. Within 30 days of notification under this paragraph, the consumer reporting agency shall correct the erroneous amount in its records.

(c) The department shall notify a consumer reporting agency within 30 days if any amounts reported to the consumer reporting agency under par. (a) are paid in full. Within 30 days of notification under this paragraph, the consumer reporting agency shall indicate the payment in full in its records.

(12) The department or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) may not release information to a person about the whereabouts of another person if any of the following applies:

(a) The person seeking the information is subject to a temporary restraining order or injunction under s. 813.12, 813.122, 813.123, 813.125 or 813.127 with respect to the person about whom the information is sought; and the department or county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) has notice of the temporary restraining order or injunction.

(b) The department or county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) has reason to believe that releasing the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the person about whom the information is sought.

(13)

(a) Subject to par. (b), the department may terminate child and spousal support enforcement services if there is no longer a current support or maintenance order and either of the following applies:

1. Any support or maintenance arrearages total less than $500.

2. Any support or maintenance arrearages are considered unenforceable by a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) because no support or maintenance payments have been collected for 3 years and all administrative and legal remedies for collection of arrearages have been attempted or are determined to be ineffective because the payer is unable to pay, the payer has no known income or assets, and there is no reasonable prospect that the payer will be able to pay in the foreseeable future.

(b) The department shall, not less than 60 days prior to terminating child or spousal support services, notify the individual who receives the services, or the initiating state in an interstate enforcement action, of its intent to terminate services. If the individual or the state provides information to the department in response to the notification that could result in an effective enforcement action, the department may not terminate services.

(c) An individual or the initiating state in an interstate enforcement action may request the department to resume child or spousal support enforcement services terminated under this subsection if there is a change of circumstances that could result in an effective enforcement action and the individual or the state completes a new application for services and pays any applicable fee to the department for its services.

History: 1975 c. 82; 1977 c. 26, 29, 203, 418; 1979 c. 196, 221; 1981 c. 20, 93; 1983 a. 27; 1985 a. 29 ss. 861m to 866, 2390 to 2399; 1987 a. 27; 1987 a. 332 s. 64; 1987 a. 399, 403, 413; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16, 481; 1995 a. 27 ss. 2128m to 2134, 9126 (19), 9130 (4); 1995 a. 77, 187, 201, 225, 289; 1995 a. 404 ss. 39 to 43, 45, 46, 48, 173, 174; Stats. 1995 s. 49.22; 1997 a. 27, 105, 191, 237; 1999 a. 32; 2001 a. 16; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 25; 2007 a. 20 ss. 1467 to 1472, 9121 (6) (a); 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 334.

The state may request patient billing records under s. 46.25 (2m) [now s. 49.22 (2m)], which may be admitted into evidence under the exception to confidentiality under s. 146.82 (2) (a) 3. State v. Allen, 200 Wis. 2d 301, 546 N.W.2d 517 (1996), 95-0792.

Information contained in a county paternity case file may be released for purposes of fraud investigation of the public assistance programs specified in s. 49.53 [now s. 49.83]. 80 Atty. Gen. 226.