A Missouri support enforcement agency must provide services on request and carry out several support-enforcement steps for the petitioner.
454.1566. Duties of support enforcement agency. — (a) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under sections 454.1500 to 454.1728. (b) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner as appropriate shall: (1) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of this state, 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 two 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 two 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 this state that requests registration of a child support order in this state 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 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 this state 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 this state shall issue or request a tribunal of this state 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 pursuant to section 454.1602. (f) Sections 454.1500 to 454.1728 do not create or negate a relationship of attorney and client or other fiduciary relationship between a support enforcement agency or the attorney for the agency and the individual being assisted by the agency. (L. 2011 H.B. 260) Effective 6-15-16, see § 454.1728