Colorado

Family Law

Section 14-5-203 – Initiating and responding tribunals of this state

Under this article, a tribunal of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state, and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or a foreign country.

C.R.S. § 14-5-203

Amended by 2015 Ch. 173,§ 6, eff. 7/1/2015.
L. 93: Entire article R&RE, p. 1585, § 1, effective January 1, 1995. L. 2015: Entire section amended, (HB 15-1198), ch. 173, p. 548, § 6, effective July 1.

COMMENT

This section identifies the two roles a tribunal of the forum may serve: acting as either an initiating or a responding tribunal. See Sections 304 and 305 for the duties and powers of the tribunal in each of these capacities. Under UIFSA, a tribunal may serve as a responding tribunal even when there is no initiating tribunal. This accommodates the direct filing of a proceeding in a responding tribunal by a nonresident of the forum, whether residing in a state or anywhere else in the world. Note, however, that the section does not deal with whether an initiating tribunal of a state may forward a proceeding to a tribunal in a foreign country, which may be left to the individual support enforcement agency.

Related to Convention: art. 2. Scope; art. 37. Direct requests to competent authorities.