§ 53-304 — Nonsupport. Support orders and agreements. Administration of oaths by family relations counselors and support enforcement officers.

Connecticut § 53-304

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 53: Crimes
• Ch. 946: Offenses Against Public Policy

Text

(a) Any person who neglects or refuses to furnish reasonably necessary support to the person's spouse, child under the age of eighteen or parent under the age of sixty-five shall be deemed guilty of nonsupport and shall be imprisoned not more than one year, unless the person shows to the court before which the trial is had that, owing to physical incapacity or other good cause, the person is unable to furnish such support. The court may suspend the execution of any community correctional center sentence imposed, upon any terms or conditions that it deems just, may suspend the execution of the balance of any such sentence in a like manner, and, in addition to any other sentence or in lieu thereof, may order that the person convicted shall pay to the Commissioner of Administrative Services directly or through Support Enforcement Services of the Superior Court, such support, in such amount as the court may find commensurate with the necessities of the case and the ability of such person, for such period as the court shall determine. Any such order of support may, at any time thereafter, be set aside or altered by the court for cause shown. Failure of any defendant to make any payment may be punished as contempt of court and, in addition thereto or in lieu thereof, the court may order the issuance of a wage withholding in the same manner as is provided in section 17b-745, which withholding order shall have the same precedence as is provided in section 52-362. The amounts withheld under such withholding order shall be remitted to the Department of Administrative Services by the person or corporation to whom the withholding order is presented at such intervals as such withholding order directs. (b) Any person who violates any provision of this section may be prosecuted before any court of this state in the same manner as if such offense had been committed within the territorial jurisdiction of such court. (c) A written agreement to support or any modification of an agreement to support filed with said court or the assistant clerk of the Family Support Magistrate Division shall have the same force and effect as an order of support by the Superior Court and shall be enforceable in the same manner as is provided herein for orders of support issued by the court. (d) Family relations counselors and support enforcement officers employed by the Judicial Department may administer oaths in all affidavits, statements, complaints and reports made to or by such family relations counselors and support enforcement officers in the performance of their duties. See Sec. 46b-215 re obligation of relatives to furnish support. See Sec. 46b-219 re child's freedom from obligation to support a parent who had earlier deserted the child. See Sec. 51-348a re prosecution for nonsupport in geographical area of Superior Court.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 8586; 1955, S. 3295d; 1957, P.A. 158; 1959, P.A. 115, S. 4; 308; 1963, P.A. 497; 1967, P.A. 746, S. 6; 1969, P.A. 297; 1971, P.A. 290; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 76; P.A. 74-183, S. 122, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 512, 681; P.A. 78-331, S. 33, 58; P.A. 80-56, S. 1, 2; P.A. 83-295, S. 18; P.A. 86-359, S. 37, 44; P.A. 90-213, S. 43, 56; P.A. 93-396, S. 11; P.A. 00-68, S. 6; P.A. 01-91, S. 27; P.A. 02-132, S. 28; P.A. 04-257, S. 82; P.A. 21-15, S. 146.) History: 1959 acts provided bond may be executed to state treasurer and that provisions of Sec. 17-323a shall apply to this section; 1963 act amended Subsec. (a) to provide person shall be deemed guilty of nonsupport instead of a felony, deleted 1959 provision re section 17-323a and requirements re execution of bond when sentence suspended, provided for payment through family relations division of circuit court, provisions in Subsec. (a) authorizing court to set aside or alter support order, empowering court to act upon defendant's failure to make payments and defining “child” and added Subsec. (c) re force and effect of agreements to support made with family relations division of circuit court; 1967 act limited support obligation for children and parents to those under twenty-one and sixty-five, respectively; 1969 act substituted “community correctional center” for “jail”; 1971 act changed wording of Subsec. (c), re modifications of agreements, for clarity and deleted requirement that circuit court judge must approve agreements made between family relations division and relative after “examination of such relative in court or in chambers” for provisions to apply; 1972 act changed applicable age of children from 21 to 18 reflecting changed age of majority; P.A. 74-183 replaced family relations division with family relations office and circuit court with court of common pleas, reflecting reorganization of judicial system, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court, reflecting transfer of all trial jurisdiction to superior court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-331 substituted “spouse” for “wife”, removing unnecessary distinctions as to sex; P.A. 80-56 added Subsec. (d) empowering family relations officers to administer oaths; P.A. 83-295 amended Subsecs. (a) and (c) by replacing “family relations office” with “family services unit or support enforcement services unit” and amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “family relations officers and assistant family relations officers” with “family relations caseworkers and support enforcement officers”; P.A. 86-359 amended Subsec. (c) by changing “family services unit or support enforcement services unit” to “family division” and adding “or the assistant clerk of the family support magistrate division”; P.A. 90-213 changed office to which payments are to be made from the family services unit to the commissioner of administrative services or through the support enforcement division and changed family services unit or support enforcement services unit to the bureau of collection services in Subsec. (a), in Subsec. (c) changed family division to support enforcement division and made technical change in Subsec. (d); P.A. 93-396 made technical changes, substituting references to withholdings for references to executions; P.A. 00-68 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute “Department of Administrative Services” for “bureau of collection services” and make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality; P.A. 01-91 changed “the Support Enforcement Division” to “Support Enforcement Services” in Subsecs. (a) and (d); P.A. 02-132 amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “family relations caseworkers” with “family relations counselors”, deleting references to “Family Division”, “Support Enforcement Services” and “the Superior Court”, adding provision re employed by the Judicial Department and making a technical change; P.A. 04-257 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 21-15 deleted provision defining “child” for purposes of the section, effective January 1, 2022. Generally. 41 C. 433. Adultery of wife sufficient defense. 57 C. 539; 100 C. 731. What facts justify wife in leaving husband; burden of proof. 91 C. 6. Venue of action is ordinarily place of husband's residence, since wife's residence follows that of her husband. 93 C. 363. Payments set forth in bond for support must be met even though wife has not been furnished help by town to whom bond was given; husband's duty is to support wife at his residence but not elsewhere. 94 C. 247. Information in words of statute sufficient; measure of support varies with circumstances of parties. 99 C. 119; 100 C. 730. When wife's misconduct will relieve husband of this duty. Id., 731. Unjustifiable abandonment suspends duty; facts held to warrant conclusion of unjustifiable abandonment. 107 C. 108. Recognizance is a sufficient bond within statute; taking it directly to city instead of to treasurer does not invalidate it. 110 C. 171. Former statute cited. Id., 479. Wife must have adequate justification, in declining to live with husband, to entitle her to separate support; justification is a question for each case on its own circumstances. 124 C. 382. Provision for prosecution in any court of state, held constitutional. 129 C. 570. Husband entitled to show wife's conduct has forfeited any claim by her for support by him. 142 C. 377. Former statute cited. 152 C. 471. Once a child reaches age 18, parents no longer have legal duty re support. 168 C. 144. Cited. 196 C. 403; 216 C. 85; 234 C. 194. Cited. 4 CS 144; 5 CS 225; 13 CS 268. While wife necessarily benefits, the purpose of statute is to protect the public purse. 14 CS 128. Cited. 15 CS 177. Existence of section is not grounds for denying relief in an equitable action for support. 16 CS 68. Cited. 34 CS 281; Id., 284; 35 CS 130, 133. If husband and wife mutually assent to separate, husband not relieved of responsibility to support. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 218. Where, in a case under statute, defendant claims he was indigent so the court should have appointed counsel to him, but the court could not question him as to his earnings, it is incumbent on him to persuade the court that he was entitled to appointed counsel. 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 624, 636. Legislative history discussed; crime of nonsupport does not require guilty or criminal intent. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 544. Defendant could not himself move to modify support order made upon his written agreement to contribute to support of his three minor children after he had been charged with crime of nonsupport. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 24.