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Amend the bill in section 2 in paragraph D in the 6th line (page 1, line 13 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "6" and inserting the following: '24'
Amend the bill in section 2 in paragraph D in the 9th line (page 1, line 16 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "6" and inserting the following: '24'
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 (page 1, lines 32 and 33 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. 19-A MRSA §2302, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 255, §1, is amended to read:
 
4. Department notification responsibilities.   As soon as practicable after the department knows that an obligor has become an assisted obligor, the department shall send notices to the obligor and obligee notifying them of:
 
A. The obligor's status as an assisted obligor;
 
B. The existence of the suspension in subsection 2;
 
C. The obligee's opportunity to contest the suspension by seeking a modification as set forth in subsection 3; and
 
D. The location where forms for modification proceedings can be obtained.
 
In addition, the department shall include with the notices to the parties blank forms for use in initiating modification actions.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment changes the time frame in which a primary care provider of a child is deemed to be unavailable for employment for the purposes of the laws governing the collection of child support obligations from 3 years to the first 24 months of the child's life. The bill proposes changing it to the first 6 months.
This amendment also removes the requirement that the Department of Health and Human Services include blank forms for modification along with the notice that the child support obligation is suspended while the obligor is receiving public assistance. These forms are available online, and upon request, and are used by very few recipients of the notice. Elimination of this requirement will save close to $3,000 per year in printing and mailing costs to the department.