Section 19-6-33.1. Family support registry

   (a) As used in this Code section, the term:

   (1) "Child support enforcement agency" means the Child Support Enforcement Agency of the Department of Human Services and its contractors.

   (2) "Family support registry" means a central registry maintained and operated pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section, which receives, processes, disburses, and maintains a record of the payment of child support, child support when combined with spousal support, child support arrears, or child support debt made pursuant to court or administrative order.

   (3) "Income deduction order" means any income deduction order which is made pursuant to Code Section 19-6-32 and which becomes effective upon a delinquency which occurred on or after January 1, 1994, or which became effective immediately without a delinquency on or after January 1, 1994.

(b) Any term used in this Code section and defined in Code Section 19-6-31 shall have the meaning provided for such term in Code Section 19-6-31.

(c) As required by federal law, there shall be established and operated a family support registry pursuant to IV-D regulations and authority and funding provided to the child support enforcement agency. The child support enforcement agency is authorized to establish and maintain or contract for the establishment and maintenance of the family support registry. This registry shall be used for the collection and processing of payments for support orders in all cases which are enforced by the child support enforcement agency and for all other support orders not being enforced by the child support agency which are subject to income deduction order as defined by paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this Code section.

(d) The child support agency shall as required by federal law redirect payments for support orders in all cases being enforced by the child support agency and for all other support orders not being enforced by the child support agency which are subject to an income deduction order as defined by paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this Code section. These support payments to a court or receiver or private party by an employer shall be redirected to the family support registry.

(e) In implementing the family support registry, the child support enforcement agency is authorized to:

   (1) Receive, process, and disburse payments for child support, child support when combined with spousal support, child support arrears, or child support debt for any order;

   (2) Maintain records of any payments collected, processed, and disbursed through the family support registry;

   (3) Establish and maintain a separate record for payments made through the registry as a result of a judgment remedy;

   (4) Answer inquiries from any parent concerning payments processed through the family support registry; and

   (5) Collect a fee for the processing of insufficient funds checks and issue a notice to the originator of any insufficient funds check that no further checks will be accepted from such person and that future payments shall be required to be paid by cash or certified funds.

(f) On or after April 1, 1999, the child support enforcement agency shall begin implementing the family support registry. The commissioner of the department or the commissioner's designee shall notify the court administrator and the chief judge of each judicial circuit when new income deduction orders are to be directed to the family support registry.

(g) Upon implementation of the family support registry in any county or judicial circuit, the following procedures shall be followed in such county or circuit:

   (1) All administrative orders and all court orders entered or modified which provide for income deduction orders for support payments for child support, child support when combined with spousal support, child support arrears, or child support debt shall require that such payments be made through the family support registry; and

   (2) The child support enforcement agency shall send or cause to be sent a notice by first-class mail directing that all income deduction order payments shall be made to the family support registry. Orders subject to this redirection include: all support orders being enforced by the child support agency and all other orders not being enforced by the child support agency which are subject to an income deduction order as defined in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this Code section. The notice shall be sent to the following persons:

      (A) Any obligor who is obligated to make payments for support, child support when combined with spousal support, child support arrears, or child support debt under court order or administrative order in a IV-D case where the order does not already specify paying through the family support registry; and

      (B) Any employer or other payor of funds who has been deducting income under Code Section 19-6-32.

(h) Any obligor or employer who receives a notice to redirect payments as specified in subsection (g) of this Code section who fails to make the payments to the family support registry and who continues to make payments to the court or to the IV-D agency shall be sent a second notice to redirect payments. The second notice shall be sent certified mail or statutory overnight delivery, return receipt requested. Such notice shall contain all the information required to be included in the first notice to redirect payments and shall further state that the obligor or employer has failed to make the payments to the correct agency and that the payor or obligor shall redirect the payments to the family support registry at the address indicated in the notice. Failure to make payments to the family support registry after a second notice shall be grounds for contempt.
   (i)(1) Any payment required to be made to the family support registry which is received by the court, receiver, or child support enforcement agency shall be forwarded to the family support registry within two business days after receipt. All income deduction payments from employers or such payments forwarded by the court, receiver, or child support enforcement agency shall be identified with the information specified by the family support registry, including but not limited to the court case number, social security number, the county where the case originated, and the name of the obligor. A copy of the notice to redirect payments described in subsection (g) of this Code section shall be mailed to the obligee and the court.

   (2) Except as provided by federal law, the family support registry shall distribute all support amounts payable within two business days after receipt from the employer or other payment source.

(j) The department shall coordinate the operation of the family support registry with the state case registry created under Code Section 19-11-39 so as to reduce if not eliminate the need for duplicate reporting and information recording. The department is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the courts of the judicial circuits in order to implement the family support registry. The department shall be authorized to establish and collect from the income deduction order obligor or other obligor paying support through the family support registry an administrative fee. The fee shall not exceed $2.00 per payment or 5 percent of the amount of each payment or the actual cost of processing and distributing the child support from the source to the obligee, whichever is the lesser.

(k) Nothing in this Code section shall allow or require any reduction of child support payments paid to any parent or guardian of a minor child.

Code 1981, § 19-6-33.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1999, p. 1237, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 136, § 19; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 2-2/HB 228.