Colorado

Family Law

Family Law

Section 14-5-301 – Proceedings under article

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, this part 3 applies to all proceedings under this article.
(b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this article by filing a petition in an initiating tribunal for forwarding to a responding tribunal or by filing a petition or a comparable pleading directly in a tribunal of another state or foreign country which has or can obtain personal jurisdiction over the respondent.
(c) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2003, p. 1249, § 11, effective July 1, 2004.)

C.R.S. § 14-5-301

Amended by 2015 Ch. 173,§ 14, eff. 7/1/2015.
L. 93: Entire article R&RE, p. 1588, § 1, effective January 1, 1995. L. 94: (b)(1) amended, p. 1547, § 26, effective January 1, 1995. L. 96: (b)(1) amended, p. 593, § 4, effective July 1. L. 97: (b)(1) amended, p. 536, § 5, effective July 1. L. 2003: Entire section amended, p. 1249, § 11, effective July 1, 2004. L. 2015: (b) amended, (HB 15-1198), ch. 173, p. 550, § 14, effective July 1.

COMMENT

Subsection (a) mandates application of the general provisions of this article to all UIFSA proceedings, including those affecting a foreign support order.

The statement in subsection (b) is axiomatic that the tribunal in which a petition is filed for establishment or enforcement of a support order, or for modification of a child-support order, must be able to assert personal jurisdiction over the respondent. It is also axiomatic that an individual petitioner requesting affirmative relief under this act submits to the personal jurisdiction of the tribunal. Subsection (b) also continues reference to the basic two-state procedure long employed by the former reciprocal acts to establish a support order in the interstate context, but expands it to recognize foreign countries. Direct filing of a petition in a state tribunal by an individual or a support enforcement agency without reference to an initiating tribunal in another state was introduced by UIFSA (1992). UIFSA (2008) extends the direct filing capability to foreign countries as well.

Although the filing of a petition in an initiating tribunal to be forwarded to a responding tribunal is still recognized as an available procedure, the direct filing procedure has proven to be one of the most significant improvements in efficient interstate case management. The promulgation and use of the federally mandated, or substantially conforming, forms, Section 311(b), further serves to eliminate any role for the initiating tribunal. Incidentally, the Convention contains approved forms for use in Convention cases processed through a Central Authority.

Related to Convention: art. 2. Scope; art. 10. Available applications; art. 19. Scope of the chapter; art. 20. Bases for recognition and enforcement; art. 32. Enforcement under internal law; art. 33. Non-discrimination; art. 34. Enforcement measures; art. 37. Direct requests to competent authorities; Annex 1. Transmittal form under Article 12(2); Annex 2. Acknowledgement form under Article 12(3).