§ 1501. Employer’s receipt of an income withholding from another state
An income withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of
the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person defined as the obligor’s
employer under the income withholding law of this State without first filing a petition
or comparable pleading or registering the order with a tribunal of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1502. Employer’s compliance with an income withholding order from another state
(a) Upon receipt of an income withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately
provide a copy of the order to the obligor.
(b) The employer shall treat an income withholding order issued in another state which
appears regular on its face as if it had been issued by a tribunal of this State.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this section and section 1503 of this title, the employer shall withhold and distribute the funds as directed in the withholding
order by complying with terms of the order which specify:
(1) the duration and amount of periodic payments of current child support, stated as a
sum certain;
(2) the person designated to receive payments and the address to which the payments are
to be forwarded;
(3) medical support, whether in the form of periodic cash payment, stated as a sum certain,
or ordering the obligor to provide health insurance coverage for the child under a
policy available through the obligor’s employment;
(4) the amount of periodic payments of fees and costs for a support enforcement agency,
the issuing tribunal, and the obligee’s attorney, stated as sums certain; and
(5) the amount of periodic payments of arrearages and interest on arrearages, stated as
sums certain.
(d) The employer shall comply with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place
of employment for withholding from income with respect to:
(1) the employer’s fee for processing an income withholding order;
(2) the maximum amount permitted to be withheld from the obligor’s income; and
(3) the time periods within which the employer must implement the withholding order and
forward the child support payment. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1503. Employer’s compliance with two or more income withholding orders
If the obligor’s employer receives two or more income withholding orders with respect
to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders
if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place
of employment to establish the priorities for withholding and allocating income withheld
for two or more child support obligees. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1504. Immunity from civil liability
An employer who complies with an income withholding order issued in another state
in accordance with this chapter is not subject to civil liability to an individual
or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from the obligor’s
income. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1505. Penalties for noncompliance
An employer who willfully fails to comply with an income withholding order issued
by another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that
may be imposed for noncompliance with an order issued by a tribunal of this State. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1506. Contest by an obligor
(a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an income withholding order
issued in another state and received directly by an employer in this State by registering
the order in a tribunal of this State and filing a contest to that order as provided
in chapter 16 of this title, or otherwise contesting the order in the same manner
as if the order had been issued by a tribunal of this State.
(b) The obligor shall give notice of the contest to:
(1) a support enforcement agency providing services to the obligee;
(2) each employer that has directly received an income withholding order relating to the
obligor; and
(3) the person designated to receive payments in the income withholding order or, if no
person is designated, to the obligee. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)
§ 1507. Administrative enforcement of orders
(a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income
withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may
send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency
of this State.
(b) Upon receipt of the documents, the support enforcement agency, without initially seeking
to register the order, shall consider and, if appropriate, use any administrative
procedure authorized by the law of this State to enforce a support order or an income
withholding order, or both. If the obligor does not contest administrative enforcement,
the order need not be registered. If the obligor contests the validity or administrative
enforcement of the order, the support enforcement agency shall register the order
pursuant to this title. (Added 2015, No. 16, § 2, eff. June 1, 2015.)