Michigan Compiled Laws Act 294 Of 1982 Friend Of The Court Act (552.501 - 552.535)

AN ACT to revise and consolidate the laws relating to the friend of the court; to provide for the appointment or removal of the friend of the court; to create the office of the friend of the court; to establish the rights, powers, and duties of the friend of the court and the office of the friend of the court; to establish a state friend of the court bureau and to provide the powers and duties of the bureau; to prescribe powers and duties of the circuit court and of certain state and local agencies and officers; to establish friend of the court citizen advisory committees; to prescribe certain duties of certain employers and former employers; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

History: 1982, Act 294, Eff. July 1, 1983 ;-- Am. 1985, Act 208, Eff. Mar. 1, 1986 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 366, Eff. Jan. 1, 1997
Popular Name: Friend of the Court

Section 552.501 Short Title; Purposes And Construction Of Act.
(1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the “friend of the court act”. (2) The purposes of this act are...
Section 552.502 Definitions; A To I.
As used in this act: (a) "Alternative dispute resolution" means a process established under section 13 by which the parties are assisted in voluntarily...
Section 552.502a Definitions; M To T.
As used in this act: (a) "Medical assistance" means medical assistance as established under title XIX of the social security act, 42 USC 1396...
Section 552.503 Office Of The Friend Of The Court; Creation In Judicial Circuit; Exception; Separate Office In County; Vacancy; Merger; Head Of Office As Friend Of The Court; Friend Of The Court As Employee Of Circuit Court; Performance Of Duties; Office Procedures; Availability Of Services To Public.
(1) There is created in each judicial circuit of this state an office of the friend of the court, except as provided in subsection...
Section 552.504 Citizen Friend Of The Court Advisory Committee; Establishment; Composition; Appointment; Vacancy; Terms; Election Of Chairperson And Vice-chairperson; Court Administrative Office Guidelines; Term Limitation.
(1) Each county may establish a citizen friend of the court advisory committee composed of the following members, each of whom is a resident...
Section 552.504a Citizen Advisory Committee; Scope; Duties; Subcommittees; Meetings Open To The Public; Exception.
(1) A citizen advisory committee is advisory only. Once established, the citizen advisory committee shall do all of the following: (a) Meet not less...
Section 552.504b Information And Records To Be Provided To Citizen Advisory Committee.
(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), and (4), and under the chief judge's supervision, the office shall provide the citizen advisory committee...
Section 552.504c Information And Records As Confidential; Disclosure; Penalty; Grounds For Dismissal.
(1) A citizen advisory committee, its members, and its staff shall consider as confidential a record or other information to which they have access...
Section 552.505 Duties Of Friend Of The Court; Failure Of Party To Attend Scheduled Meeting; Charging Parties For Investigation, Report And Recommendations; Waiver Or Suspension Of Fees; Disposition Of Money Collected.
(1) Each office of the friend of the court has the following duties: (a) To inform each party to a domestic relations matter that,...
Section 552.505a Open Friend Of The Court Case; Closure.
(1) Except as required by this section, an office of the friend of the court shall open and maintain a friend of the court...
Section 552.507 Referee; Designation By Chief Judge; Powers; Transcript Of Hearing; Cost; De Novo Court Hearing; Request; Interim Order; Review.
(1) The chief judge may designate a referee as provided by the Michigan court rules. (2) A referee may do all of the following:...
Section 552.507a Making Report, Recommendation, And Supporting Documents Available To Attorneys And Parties; Informing Parties In Child Custody Dispute Or Guardian Concerning Preference Expressed By Child; Availability Of Information.
(1) A copy of each report, recommendation, and any supporting documents or a summary of supporting documents prepared or used by the friend of...
Section 552.508 Expediting Relief; Methods.
The circuit court shall utilize referees and take other appropriate action to expedite obtaining relief in the form of child or spousal support in...
Section 552.509 Duties Of Office Regarding Support Payments Providing Statement Of Account To Parties; Initiating And Carrying Out Proceedings To Enforce Order Regarding Custody, Parenting Time, Health Care Coverage Or Support; Enforcement Orders Entered In Other State.
(1) The office may accept a support payment made in cash or by cashier's check or money order. If the office accepts such a...
Section 552.509a Centralized Receipt And Disbursement Of Support And Fees.
The SDU is responsible for the centralized receipt and disbursement of support and fees. An office of the friend of the court may continue...
Section 552.511 Initiating Enforcement Of Support Order And Custody Or Parenting Time Order; Procedure; Arrearage; Amnesty.
(1) Except as provided in this section, each office shall initiate 1 or more support enforcement measures under the support and parenting time enforcement...
Section 552.511a Payment Of Health Care Expense; Complaint; Sending Copy Of Complaint And Notice To Parent; Objection; Hearing.
(1) A complaint seeking enforcement for payment of a health care expense must include information showing that all of the following conditions have been...
Section 552.511b Custody Or Parenting Time Order Violations; Complaint; Sending Copy Of Complaint To Individual Accused Of Interfering; Action.
(1) An office shall initiate enforcement under the support and parenting time enforcement act if the office receives a written complaint that states specific...
Section 552.512 Reporting Information To Consumer Reporting Agency.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the title IV-D agency shall report to a consumer reporting agency the arrearage amount for each...
Section 552.513 Alternative Dispute Resolution; Approval Of Plan; "Protection Order" Defined; Agreement; Consent Order; Confidentiality Of Communication; Qualifications Of Person Providing Domestic Relations Mediation Or Other Forms Of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
(1) In a friend of the court case, the office shall provide, either directly or by contract, alternative dispute resolution to assist the parties...
Section 552.515 Certain Actions By Employee Providing Domestic Relations Mediation; Prohibition.
An employee of the office who provides domestic relations mediation in a friend of the court case involving a particular party shall not perform...
Section 552.517 Review Of Child Support Order After Final Judgment; Modification Order; Calculations; Petition For Modification; Scheduling Of Hearing; Petition To Require Dependent Health Care Coverage; Costs.
(1) After a final judgment containing a child support order has been entered in a friend of the court case, the office shall use...
Section 552.517a Repealed. 2002, Act 571, Imd. Eff. Oct. 3, 2002.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to making form motions, responses, and orders available to individuals.Popular Name: Friend of the Court
Section 552.517b Review Of Order; Notice Of Right To Request; Notice Of Review; Calculation Of Support Amount; Objection; Joint Meeting Expediting Resolution Of Support Issues; Provisions; Modification; Frequency Of Review.
(1) Child support orders entered after June 30, 2005 shall be modified according to this section. For each support order entered before June 30,...
Section 552.517c Review Of Support Order In Another State; Procedures.
(1) If Michigan is the initiating state in an interstate friend of the court case involving child support, the office shall determine whether a...
Section 552.517d Motion For Modification Of Parenting Time Order.
(1) After a final judgment containing a parenting time order is entered in a domestic relations matter for which there is an open friend...
Section 552.517e Arrearage Payment Schedules; Administrative Adjustment.
The office shall utilize guidelines provided in the child support formula developed by the state friend of the court bureau under section 19 to...
Section 552.518 Information From Employer Or Former Employer Relative To Parent.
(1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), upon the request of the office of the friend of the court, any employer or former employer...
Section 552.519 State Friend Of The Court Bureau; Creation; Supervision And Direction; Main Office; Duties; State Advisory Committee; Report Or Recommendation; Reimbursement For Expenses; Meetings; Assistance.
(1) The state friend of the court bureau is created within the state court administrative office, under the supervision and direction of the supreme...
Section 552.520 Information Requested By Department Of Human Services.
(1) If the department of human services requests information from an office of the friend of the court, that office may provide the information...
Section 552.521 Person Appointed As Friend Of The Court Under Former Act; Continuation; Transfer Of Files, Records, Funds, And Pending Cases Of Office Under Former Act; Employees Of Friend Of The Court Appointed Under Former Act To Become Employees Of Corresponding Office; Employees Of State Judicial Council Serving In Third Judicial Circuit To Continue In Present Positions.
(1) Each person appointed as friend of the court under former Act No. 412 of the Public Acts of 1919 who is serving in...
Section 552.522 Appointment Of Attorney To Assist Friend Of The Court; Compensation.
If the friend of the court serving a judicial circuit is not an attorney who is a member of the state bar of Michigan...
Section 552.523 Vacancy; Appointment Of Person To Position Of Friend Of The Court Or Interim Friend Of The Court; Experience Or Education.
(1) If the position of friend of the court becomes vacant for any reason, the chief judge shall appoint a person to the position...
Section 552.524 Annual Review Of Performance Record Of Friend Of The Court; Public Notice And Comments; Written Evaluation; Written Response; Copies.
(1) The chief judge annually shall review the performance record of each friend of the court serving that circuit to determine whether the friend...
Section 552.525 Removal Of Friend Of The Court; Approval.
The chief judge may remove the friend of the court. A removal under this section is not effective until approved by a majority of...
Section 552.526 Grievance Procedure; Record; Powers And Duties Of Citizen Advisory Committee.
(1) A party to a friend of the court case who has a grievance concerning office operations or employees shall utilize the following grievance...
Section 552.527 Compensation And Expenses Of Friend Of The Court And Employees.
The compensation and expenses of the friend of the court for each judicial circuit and of the employees of the office and all operating...
Section 552.528 Compilation Of Data.
Each office of the friend of the court shall compile data as required by the state court administrative office, under the supervision and direction...
Section 552.531 Repealed. 1996, Act 366, Eff. Jan. 1, 1997.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to definitions.Popular Name: Friend of the Court
Section 552.533 Repeal Of Mcl 552.251 To 552.255.
Act No. 412 of the Public Acts of 1919, as amended, being sections 552.251 to 552.255 of the Compiled Laws of 1970, is repealed....
Section 552.534 Conditional Effective Date.
This act shall not take effect unless the following House Bills of the 81st Legislature are enacted into law: (a) House Bill No. 4871....
Section 552.535 Effective Date.
Except as provided in section 34, this act shall take effect July 1, 1983. History: 1982, Act 294, Eff. July 1, 1983 Popular Name:...

Last modified: October 10, 2016