Michigan Laws 552.501 – Short title; purposes and construction of act
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
|
Other versions
(1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the “friend of the court act”.
(2) The purposes of this act are to enumerate and describe the powers and duties of the friend of the court and the office of the friend of the court; to ensure that procedures adopted by the friend of the court will protect the best interests of children in domestic relations matters; to encourage and assist parties voluntarily to resolve contested domestic relations matters by agreement; to compel the enforcement of parenting time and custody orders; and to compel the enforcement of support orders, ensuring that persons legally responsible for the care and support of children assume their legal obligations and reducing the financial cost to this state of providing public assistance funds for the care of children. This act shall be construed to promote the enumerated purposes and to facilitate the resolution of domestic relations matters.
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 552.501
- Court: means the circuit court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
- Friend of the court: means the person serving under section 21(1) or appointed under section 23 as the head of the office of the friend of the court. See Michigan Laws 552.502
- Public assistance: means cash assistance provided under the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400. See Michigan Laws 552.502a
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
- Support: means all of the following:
(i) The payment of money for a child or a spouse ordered by the circuit court, whether the order is embodied in an interim, temporary, permanent, or modified order or judgment. See Michigan Laws 552.502a