B. When the parties' combined annual gross income exceeds $126,600 $240,000, the child support table is not applicable, except that the basic weekly child support entitlement of a child is presumed to be not less than that set forth in the table for a combined annual gross income of $126,600 $240,000.

C. The subsistence needs of the nonprimary care provider must be taken into account when establishing the parental support obligation. If the annual gross income of a nonprimary care provider is less than the federal poverty guideline, or if the nonprimary care provider's income is insufficient to meet work-related expenses and other basic necessities as defined in Title 22, section 4301, subsection 1, that nonprimary care provider's weekly parental support obligation for each child for whom a support award is being established or modified may not exceed 10% of that nonprimary care provider's weekly gross income, regardless of the amount of the parties' combined annual gross income. The child support table includes a self-support reserve for obligors earning less than $12,600 per year.

E. When each party is the primary residential care provider for at least one of the children involved, a child support obligation must first be computed separately for each party for each child residing primarily with the other party, based on a calculation pursuant to the support guidelines, and using as input in each calculation the number of children in each household, rather than the total number of children. The amounts determined in this manner represent the theoretical support obligation due each party for support of each child for whom the party has primary residential responsibility. Each party's proportionate share of child care costs and health insurance premiums is added to the amounts calculated, and the party owing the greater amount of child support shall pay the difference between the 2 amounts as a parental support obligation.

Sec. 5. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§7, ¶¶F and G, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, are amended to read:

F. The name and date of birth of each child for whom extraordinary medical expenses are paid and the amount of those expenses; and

G. The parental support obligation of the nonprimary care provider.; and

Sec. 6. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§7, ¶H is enacted to read:

H.__The name and date of birth of each child for whom health insurance premiums are paid and the amount of those premiums.

Sec. 7. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§8, ¶C, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

C. A breakdown of the parental support obligation, including:

(1) The amount for basic support entitlements;

(2) The amount for child care costs;

(3) The amount for extraordinary medical expenses; and

(4) The percentage of the total child care costs and extraordinary medical expenses included in the parental support obligation; and

(5)__The amount for health insurance premiums;

Sec. 8. 19-A MRSA §2007, sub-§3, ¶L, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

L. The tax consequences of a support award, including the substantial monetary benefit that a party may derive from any federal tax credit for child care expenses if the obligor is awarded any tax benefits;

Sec. 9. 19-A MRSA §2007, sub-§3, ¶M, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is repealed.

Sec. 10. 19-A MRSA §2152, sub-§12 is enacted to read:

12.__Admissible evidence.__Information provided by any person pursuant to this section is admissible as a public record pursuant to the Maine Rules of Evidence 803(8)(A) and is not within the investigative report exception found in the Maine Rules of Evidence 803(8)(B) because the information is provided pursuant to a duty imposed by law and is inherently reliable.

Sec. 11. 19-A MRSA §2301, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

4. Interstate cooperation. A payment of public assistance by another state for the benefit of a dependent child located within that state creates a debt due that state from a responsible parent in the amount of the public assistance paid. With the execution of an application for nonwelfare services between a state and a resident of that state, the state may request the department to enforce or collect any unpaid support debt belonging to the applicant. Upon written request by a state to the department, the department may attempt to collect either the welfare or nonwelfare debt by action under any appropriate laws, including, but not limited to, remedies established by this article.

Sec. 12. 19-A MRSA §2304, first ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 466, §17 and affected by §28, is further amended to read:

When a support order has not been established, the department may establish the responsible parent's current parental support obligation pursuant to chapter 63, establish the responsible parent's debt for past support, including medical expenses, and establish the responsible parent's obligation to maintain health insurance coverage for each dependent child or to pay a proportionate share of health insurance premiums. The department may proceed on its own behalf or on behalf of another state or another state's instrumentality, an individual or governmental applicant for services under section 2103 or a person entitled by federal law to support enforcement services as a former recipient of public assistance. The department acting on behalf of another state, another state's instrumentality or a person residing in another state constitutes good cause within the meaning of Title 5, section 9057, subsection 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parental support obligation established under this section continues beyond the child's 18th birthday, if the child is attending secondary school as defined in Title 20-A, section 1, until the child graduates, withdraws, is expelled or attains 19 years of age, whichever occurs first. For purposes of this section, "debt for past support" includes a debt owed to the department under section 2301, subsection 1, paragraph A, a debt owed under section 2103 and a debt that accrues under sections 1504 and 1554.

Sec. 13. 19-A MRSA §2369, first ¶, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

The receipt of public assistance for a child constitutes an assignment by the recipient to the department of all rights to support for the child and spousal support, including any support unpaid at the time of assignment, as long as public assistance is paid.

SUMMARY

This bill makes the following changes to the laws concerning child support.

It changes the definition of "extraordinary medical expenses" to conform to current practice and understanding.

It includes the actual costs of health insurance premiums paid by a party in the child support obligation and allows the hearing officers to obligate the responsible parent for that parent's proportionate share of the health insurance premium that is paid by the other parent.

It includes the self-support reserve for certain obligors.

It changes the criteria related to tax consequences as the child support tables assume the primary residential care provider receives all the tax benefits; and removes the incremental cost of health insurance as this is included in the child support obligation.

It amends the law concerning interstate cooperation to conform to a federal mandate that child support orders be established in accordance with child support guidelines and not be based on the amount of public assistance expended.

It states specifically that spousal support is also assigned to the Department of Human Services when the person receives public assistance, as required by federal law, 42 United States Code, Section 608.