MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972
As Amended

SEC.  93-25-35. Duties and powers of responding tribunal.

(1)  When a responding tribunal of this state receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to Section 93-25-27 * * *, it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and shall notify the petitioner where and when it was filed.

(2)  A responding tribunal of this state, to the extent not prohibited by other law, may do one or more of the following:

          (a)  Issue or enforce a support order, modify a child support order, determine the controlling child support order, or render a judgment to determine parentage;

          (b)  Order an obligor to comply with a support order, specifying the amount and the manner of compliance;

          (c)  Order income withholding;

          (d)  Determine the amount of any arrearage and specify a method of payment;

          (e)  Enforce orders by civil or criminal contempt, or both;

          (f)  Set aside property for satisfaction of the support order;

          (g)  Place liens and order execution on the obligor's property;

          (h)  Order an obligor to keep the tribunal informed of the obligor's current residential address, telephone number, employer, address of employment and telephone number at the place of employment;

          (i)  Issue a bench warrant, capias, for an obligor who has failed after proper notice to appear at a hearing ordered by the tribunal and enter the bench warrant, capias, in any local and state computer systems for criminal warrants;

          (j)  Order the obligor to seek appropriate employment by specified methods;

          (k)  Award reasonable attorney's fees and other fees and costs; and

          (l)  Grant any other available remedy.

(3)  A responding tribunal of this state shall include in a support order issued under this chapter, or in the documents accompanying the order, the calculations on which the support order is based.

(4)  A responding tribunal of this state may not condition the payment of a support order issued under this chapter upon compliance by a party with provisions for visitation.

(5)  If a responding tribunal of this state issues an order under this chapter, the tribunal shall send a copy of the order to the petitioner and the respondent and to the initiating tribunal, if any.

(6)  If requested to enforce or modify a support order, arrears or judgment stated in a foreign currency, a responding tribunal of this state shall convert the amount stated in the foreign currency to the equivalent amount in dollars under applicable official exchange rates as publicly reported.

SOURCES: 1997 Laws, Chapter 588, Sec. 88, SB2164; Laws, 2004, ch. 406, § 14, SB 2851, eff from and after July 1, 2004.

PREVIOUS VERSIONS: Pre-2004


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