2013 Mississippi Code
Title 93 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS
Chapter 25 - UNIFORM INTERSTATE FAMILY SUPPORT ACT
CIVIL PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
§ 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.