Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §2001, sub-§8-A is enacted to read:

8-A.__Substantially equal care.__"Substantially equal care" means that both parents participate substantially equally in the child's total care, which may include, but is not limited to, the child's residential, educational, recreational, child care and medical, dental and mental health care needs.

Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

4. Computation of parental support obligation. The total support obligation must be divided between the parties in proportion to their respective gross incomes. The court or hearing officer shall order the party not providing primary residential care to pay, in money, that party's share of the total support obligation to the party providing primary residential care. The primary residential care provider is presumed to spend the primary care provider's share directly on each child. If the court or hearing officer determines that the parties provide substantially equal care for a child for whom support is sought, presumptive support must be calculated in accordance with subsection 5, paragraph D-1.

Sec. 3. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§5, ¶D, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

D. When the parties have equal annual gross incomes and provide residential care equally substantially equal care for each child for whom support is being determined, neither party is required to pay the other a parental support obligation. The parties shall share equally the child care costs, health insurance premiums and uninsured medical expenses.

Sec. 4. 19-A MRSA §2006, sub-§5, ¶D-1 is enacted to read:

D-1.__When the parties do not have equal annual gross incomes but provide substantially equal care for each child for whom support is being determined, the presumptive parental support obligation must be determined as follows.

(1)__The basic support entitlement for each child must be determined in accordance with subsection 1 and enhanced by a multiplier of 1.5.__This product is the enhanced basic support entitlement.