Senate Bill 488 Summary

• Comprehensively amends North Carolina's Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) to align with the 2008 amendments, expanding applicability to foreign countries and foreign support orders.

• Establishes the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services as the state information agency and support enforcement agency, with authority to oversee child support services and determine reciprocal arrangements with foreign countries.

• Adds new Article 7 procedures for support proceedings under the Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support, including provisions for registration, enforcement, and modification of foreign support orders and agreements.

• Modifies income withholding procedures to allow electronic transmission in compliance with federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) e-IWO procedures and clarifies provisions for temporary child support orders based on various paternity determinations.

• Becomes effective immediately upon enactment and applies to all proceedings begun on or after the effective date involving establishment of support orders, parentage determinations, or modification of prior support orders regardless of when originally issued.