Duties of support enforcement agency

Sec. 7. (a) In a proceeding under this article, a support enforcement agency of Indiana, upon request: (1) shall provide services to a petitioner residing in a state; (2) shall provide services to a petitioner requesting services through a central authority of a foreign country as described in IC 31-18.5-1-2(5)(A) or IC 31-18.5-1-2(5)(D); and (3) may provide services to a petitioner who is an individual not residing in a state. (b) A support enforcement agency of Indiana that is providing services to the petitioner shall: (1) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate Indiana tribunal or a tribunal of another state or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent; (2) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing; (3) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties; (4) within ten (10) days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of notice in a record from an initiating, responding, or registering tribunal, send a copy of the notice to the petitioner; (5) within ten (10) days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent's attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and (6) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained. (c) A support enforcement agency of Indiana that requests registration of a child support order in Indiana for enforcement or for modification shall make reasonable efforts: (1) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or (2) if two (2) or more child support orders exist and the identity of the controlling order has not been determined, to ensure that a request for such a determination is made in a tribunal having jurisdiction to do so. (d) A support enforcement agency of Indiana that requests registration and enforcement of a support order, arrears, or judgment stated in a foreign currency shall convert the amounts stated in the foreign currency into the equivalent amounts in dollars under the applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported. (e) A support enforcement agency of Indiana shall request an Indiana tribunal to issue a child support order and an income withholding order that redirect payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state under section 19 of this chapter. (f) This article does not create or negate a relationship of attorney and client or other fiduciary relationship between the support enforcement agency or the attorney for the agency and the individual being assisted by the agency.