1.1 .................... moves to amend H. F. No. 999 as follows:
1.2Page 1, after line 5, insert:
1.3 "Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 518A.39, subdivision 2, is amended to
1.4read:
1.5 Subd. 2.
Modification. (a) The terms of an order respecting maintenance or support
1.6may be modified upon a showing of one or more of the following, any of which makes
1.7the terms unreasonable and unfair: (1) substantially increased or decreased gross income
1.8of an obligor or obligee; (2) substantially increased or decreased need of an obligor or
1.9obligee or the child or children that are the subject of these proceedings; (3) receipt of
1.10assistance under the AFDC program formerly codified under sections
256.72 to
256.87
1.11or
256B.01 to
256B.40, or chapter 256J or 256K; (4) a change in the cost of living for
1.12either party as measured by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics; (5) extraordinary
1.13medical expenses of the child not provided for under section
518A.41; (6) the addition
1.14of work-related or education-related child care expenses of the obligee or a substantial
1.15increase or decrease in existing work-related or education-related child care expenses; or
1.16(7) upon the emancipation of the child, as provided in subdivision 5.
1.17 (b) It is presumed that there has been a substantial change in circumstances under
1.18paragraph (a) and the terms of a current support order shall be rebuttably presumed to be
1.19unreasonable and unfair if:
1.20 (1) the application of the child support guidelines in section
518A.35, to the current
1.21circumstances of the parties results in a calculated court order that is at least 20 percent
1.22and at least $75 per month higher or lower than the current support order or, if the current
1.23support order is less than $75, it results in a calculated court order that is at least 20
1.24percent per month higher or lower;
1.25 (2) the medical support provisions of the order established under section
518A.41
1.26are not enforceable by the public authority or the obligee;
2.1 (3) health coverage ordered under section
518A.41 is not available to the child for
2.2whom the order is established by the parent ordered to provide;
2.3 (4) the existing support obligation is in the form of a statement of percentage and
2.4not a specific dollar amount;
or
2.5 (5) the gross income of an obligor or obligee has decreased by at least 20 percent
2.6through no fault or choice of the party
; or
2.7 (6) a deviation was granted under section 518A.43, subdivision 1, paragraph (4),
2.8and the child can no longer maintain a comparable standard of living with the lower child
2.9support amount because the child no longer resides in a foreign country.
2.10 (c) A child support order is not presumptively modifiable solely because an obligor
2.11or obligee becomes responsible for the support of an additional nonjoint child, which is
2.12born after an existing order. Section
518A.33 shall be considered if other grounds are
2.13alleged which allow a modification of support.
2.14 (d) On a motion for modification of maintenance, including a motion for the
2.15extension of the duration of a maintenance award, the court shall apply, in addition to all
2.16other relevant factors, the factors for an award of maintenance under section
518.552 that
2.17exist at the time of the motion. On a motion for modification of support, the court:
2.18 (1) shall apply section
518A.35, and shall not consider the financial circumstances of
2.19each party's spouse, if any; and
2.20 (2) shall not consider compensation received by a party for employment in excess of
2.21a 40-hour work week, provided that the party demonstrates, and the court finds, that:
2.22 (i) the excess employment began after entry of the existing support order;
2.23 (ii) the excess employment is voluntary and not a condition of employment;
2.24 (iii) the excess employment is in the nature of additional, part-time employment, or
2.25overtime employment compensable by the hour or fractions of an hour;
2.26 (iv) the party's compensation structure has not been changed for the purpose of
2.27affecting a support or maintenance obligation;
2.28 (v) in the case of an obligor, current child support payments are at least equal to the
2.29guidelines amount based on income not excluded under this clause; and
2.30 (vi) in the case of an obligor who is in arrears in child support payments to the
2.31obligee, any net income from excess employment must be used to pay the arrearages
2.32until the arrearages are paid in full.
2.33 (e) A modification of support or maintenance, including interest that accrued
2.34pursuant to section
548.091, may be made retroactive only with respect to any period
2.35during which the petitioning party has pending a motion for modification but only from the
3.1date of service of notice of the motion on the responding party and on the public authority
3.2if public assistance is being furnished or the county attorney is the attorney of record.
3.3 (f) Except for an award of the right of occupancy of the homestead, provided in
3.4section
518.63, all divisions of real and personal property provided by section
518.58
3.5shall be final, and may be revoked or modified only where the court finds the existence
3.6of conditions that justify reopening a judgment under the laws of this state, including
3.7motions under section
518.145, subdivision 2. The court may impose a lien or charge on
3.8the divided property at any time while the property, or subsequently acquired property, is
3.9owned by the parties or either of them, for the payment of maintenance or support money,
3.10or may sequester the property as is provided by section
518A.71.
3.11 (g) The court need not hold an evidentiary hearing on a motion for modification of
3.12maintenance or support.
3.13 (h) Sections
518.14 and
518A.735 shall govern the award of attorney fees for
3.14motions brought under this subdivision.
3.15 (i) Except as expressly provided, an enactment, amendment, or repeal of law does
3.16not constitute a substantial change in the circumstances for purposes of modifying a
3.17child support order.
3.18 (j) There may be no modification of an existing child support order during the first
3.19year following January 1, 2007, except as follows:
3.20 (1) there is at least a 20 percent change in the gross income of the obligor;
3.21 (2) there is a change in the number of joint children for whom the obligor is legally
3.22responsible and actually supporting;
3.23 (3) a parent or another caregiver of the child who is supported by the existing support
3.24order begins to receive public assistance, as defined in section
256.741;
3.25 (4) there are additional work-related or education-related child care expenses of the
3.26obligee or a substantial increase or decrease in existing work-related or education-related
3.27child care expenses;
3.28 (5) there is a change in the availability of health care coverage, as defined in section
3.29518A.41
, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), or a substantial increase or decrease in the cost
3.30of existing health care coverage;
3.31 (6) the child supported by the existing child support order becomes disabled; or
3.32 (7) both parents consent to modification of the existing order under section
518A.34.
3.33 A modification under clause (4) may be granted only with respect to child care
3.34support. A modification under clause (5) may be granted only with respect to medical
3.35support. This paragraph expires January 1, 2008.
4.1 (k) On the first modification under the income shares method of calculation, the
4.2modification of basic support may be limited if the amount of the full variance would
4.3create hardship for either the obligor or the obligee. "
4.4Renumber the sections in sequence and correct the internal references
4.5Amend the title accordingly