{"data":{"id":"us-mt/40-5-1027","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"40-5-1027","heading":"Duties of support enforcement agency.","body":"(1) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this part.\n(2) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall:\n(a) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of this state, another state, or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent;\n(b) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;\n(c) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;\n(d) within 2 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;\n(e) within 2 days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of a communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent's attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and\n(f) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.\n(3) 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:\n(a) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or\n(b) 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.\n(4) 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.\n(5) 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 40-5-1039.\n(6) This part does 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.","path":["TITLE 40. FAMILY LAW","CHAPTER 5. ENFORCEMENT OF SUPPORT","Part 10. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0400/chapter_0050/part_0100/section_0270/0400-0050-0100-0270.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:54:57Z","sha256":"4d93995b72e1bb876114c173dc875e419e97409328d43b5b118014610658c5dc","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/40-5-1026","next":"us-mt/40-5-1028"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}