3.__Fees, costs and expenses.__Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, the court may assess filing fees, reasonable attorney's fees, fees for genetic testing, other costs and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred in a proceeding under this subchapter.__The court may award attorney's fees, which may be paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney's own name.

4.__No assessment against agency.__The court may not assess fees, costs or expenses against the support enforcement agency of this State or another state, except as provided by other law.

5.__Change of name.__On request of a party and for good cause shown, the court may order that the name of the child be changed.

6.__Amended birth registration.__If the order of the court is at variance with the child's birth certificate, the court shall order the State Registrar of Vital Statistics to issue an amended birth registration.

Comment

(This is section 636 of the UPA.)

Source: UIFSA (1996) § 313; UPA (1973) §§ 15, 16, 23.

This Act differs from UPA (1973), which attempted to do more than merely establish parentage. For example, UPA (1973) § 15 provided for a wide range of court orders to be made relating to the child's support, custody, guardianship, visitation privileges, as well as to the payment by the father of the mother's expenses of pregnancy and confinement. This Act leaves such matters to other state law. Only in instances where other state law is likely to be inadequate does this Act specify special treatment for litigants, For example, subsections (c) and (d) may be required because ordinary civil litigation probably does not provide for the court to apportion the costs of litigation among the parties.

Maine Comment

This section is gender neutral consistent with other Maine amendments to the UPA.

§1957.__Binding effect of determination of parentage