Terms Used In Michigan Laws 552.631

  • Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Cash: means money or the equivalent of money, such as a money order, cashier's check, or negotiable check or a payment by debit or credit card, which equivalent is accepted as cash by the agency accepting the payment. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • Income: means any of the following:
  (i) Commissions, earnings, salaries, wages, and other income due or to be due in the future to an individual from his or her employer or a successor employer. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • Office of the friend of the court: means an agency created in section 3 of the friend of the court act, MCL 552. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • Payer: means an individual who is ordered by the circuit court to pay support. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental entity, or other legal entity. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • Recipient of support: means the following:
  •   (i) The spouse, if the support order orders spousal support. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  • 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 552.602
  • Support order: means an order entered by the circuit court for the payment of support, whether or not a sum certain. See Michigan Laws 552.602
  •   (1) If a person is ordered to pay support under a support order and fails or refuses to obey and perform the order, and if an order of income withholding is inapplicable or unsuccessful, a recipient of support or the office of the friend of the court may commence a civil contempt proceeding as provided by supreme court rule. If the payer fails to appear at the hearing, the court shall do 1 or more of the following as the court considers appropriate given the information available at the hearing:
      (a) Find the payer in contempt for failure to appear.
      (b) Find the payer in contempt under section 33.
      (c) Issue a bench warrant for the payer’s arrest requiring that the payer be brought before the court without unnecessary delay for further proceedings in connection with the contempt proceedings.
      (d) Adjourn the contempt proceeding.
      (e) Dismiss the contempt proceeding if the court determines that the payer is not in contempt.
      (2) If the court stays a commitment order under section 37, the payer fails to satisfy the conditions of the order, and that fact is brought to the court’s attention by the friend of the court, the court may issue a bench warrant for the payer’s arrest requiring the payer to be brought before the court without unnecessary delay for further proceedings in connection with the payer’s contempt.
      (3) In a bench warrant issued under this section, the court shall decree that the payer is subject to arrest if apprehended or detained anywhere in this state and shall require that, upon arrest, unless the payer deposits a cash performance bond in the manner required by section 32, the payer shall remain in custody until the time of the hearing. The court shall specify in the bench warrant the cash performance bond amount. The court shall set the cash performance bond at not less than $500.00 or 25% of the arrearage, whichever is greater. At its own discretion, the court may set the cash performance bond at an amount up to 100% of the arrearage and add to the amount of the required deposit the amount of the costs the court may require under subsection (4). If a payer is arrested on a felony warrant issued for a violation of section 165 of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.165, unless the payer deposits a cash performance bond in the manner required by section 32, the court shall require that, upon arrest, the payer remain in custody until the time of the preliminary examination. Upon notification that a payer who has an outstanding bench warrant under this section has been arrested or arraigned on a felony warrant for a violation of section 165 of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.165, the court may order that the bench warrant be recalled.
      (4) If the court issues a bench warrant under this section, except for good cause shown on the record, the court shall order the payer to pay the costs related to the hearing, the issuance of the warrant, the arrest, and any later hearings. Those costs and costs ordered for failure to appear under section 32 or 44 shall be transmitted to the county treasurer for distribution as required in section 2530 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.2530.
      (5) If the court issues a bench warrant under this section, the court may enter an order that a law enforcement agency render any vehicle owned by the payer temporarily inoperable, by booting or another similar method, subject to release on deposit of an appropriate bond.