In this article:
(1)"Child" means an individual, whether over or under the age of
majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the
individual's parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of
a support order directed to the parent.
(2)"Child support order" means a support order for a child,
including a child who has attained the age of majority under the
law of the issuing state or foreign country.
(3)"Convention" means the Convention on the International
Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family
Maintenance, concluded at The Hague on November 23, 2007.
(4)"Duty of support" means an obligation imposed or imposable
by law to provide support for a:
(C)former spouse;
including an unsatisfied obligation to provide support.
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In this article:
(1) "Child" means an individual, whether over or under the age of
majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the
individual's parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of
a support order directed to the parent.
(2) "Child support order" means a support order for a child,
including a child who has attained the age of majority under the
law of the issuing state or foreign country.
(3) "Convention" means the Convention on the International
Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family
Maintenance, concluded at The Hague on November 23, 2007.
(4) "Duty of support" means an obligation imposed or imposable
by law to provide support for a:
(A) child;
(B) spouse; or
(C) former spouse;
including an unsatisfied obligation to provide support.
(5) "Foreign country" means a country, including a political
subdivision thereof, other than the United States, that authorizes
the issuance of support orders and:
(A) which has been declared under the law of the United States
to be a foreign reciprocating country;
(B) which has established a reciprocal arrangement for child
support with Indiana as provided in IC 31-18.5-3-8;
(C) which has enacted a law or established procedures for the
issuance and enforcement of support orders which are
substantially similar to the procedures under this article; or
(D) in which the Convention is in force with respect to the
United States.
(6) "Foreign support order" means a support order of a foreign
tribunal.
(7) "Foreign tribunal" means a court, administrative agency, or
quasi-judicial entity of a foreign country which is authorized to:
(A) establish, enforce, or modify support orders; or
(B) determine parentage of a child.
The term includes a competent authority under the Convention.
(8) "Home state" means:
(A) the state or foreign country in which a child lived with a
parent or a person acting as parent for at least six (6)
consecutive months immediately preceding the time of filing of
a petition or comparable pleading for support; and
(B) if a child is less than six (6) months old, the state or foreign
country in which the child lived from birth with any parent or
person acting as parent.
A period of temporary absence of any parent or person acting as
parent is counted as part of the six (6) month or other period.
(9) "Income" includes earnings or other periodic entitlements to
money from any source and any other property subject to
withholding for support under Indiana law.
(10) "Income withholding order" means an order or other legal
process directed to an obligor's income payor (as defined in IC 31-9-2-57) or other debtor to withhold support from the income
of the obligor.
(11) "Initiating tribunal" means the tribunal of a state or foreign
country from which a petition or comparable pleading is
forwarded or in which a petition or comparable pleading is filed
for forwarding to another state or foreign country.
(12) "Issuing foreign country" means the foreign country in which
a tribunal issues a support order or a judgment determining
parentage of a child.
(13) "Issuing state" means the state in which a tribunal issues a
support order or a judgment determining parentage of a child.
(14) "Issuing tribunal" means the tribunal of a state or foreign
country that issues a support order or a judgment determining
parentage of a child.
(15) "Law" includes decisional and statutory law and rules and
regulations having the force of law.
(16) "Obligee" means:
(A) an individual to whom a duty of support is or is alleged to
be owed or in whose favor:
(i) a support order; or
(ii) a judgment determining parentage of a child;
has been issued;
(B) a foreign country, state, or political subdivision of a state to
which the rights under a duty of support or support order have
been assigned or which has independent claims based on
financial assistance provided to an individual obligee in place
of child support;
(C) an individual seeking a judgment determining parentage of
the individual's child; or
(D) a person that is a creditor in a proceeding under IC 31-18.5-7.
(17) "Obligor" means an individual or the estate of a decedent
that:
(A) owes or is alleged to owe a duty of support;
(B) is alleged but has not been adjudicated to be a parent of a
child;
(C) is liable under a support order; or
(D) is a debtor in a proceeding under IC 31-18.5-7.
(18) "Outside this state" means a location in another state or a
country other than the United States, whether or not the country
is a foreign country.
(19) "Person" means:
(A) an individual;
(B) a corporation;
(C) a business trust;
(D) an estate;
(E) a trust;
(F) a partnership;
(G) a limited liability company;
(H) an association;
(I) a joint venture;
(J) a public corporation;
(K) a government;
(L) a governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality; or
(M) any other legal or commercial entity.
(20) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible
medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is
retrievable in perceivable form.
(21) "Register" means to file in an Indiana tribunal a support
order or judgment determining parentage of a child issued in
another state or a foreign country.
(22) "Registering tribunal" means a tribunal in which a support
order or judgment determining parentage of a child is registered.
(23) "Responding state" means a state in which a petition or
comparable pleading for support or to determine parentage of a
child is filed or to which a petition or comparable pleading is
forwarded for filing from another state or a foreign country.
(24) "Responding tribunal" means the authorized tribunal in a
responding state or foreign country.
(25) "Spousal support order" means a support order for a spouse
or former spouse of the obligor.
(26) "State" means:
(A) a state of the United States;
(B) the District of Columbia;
(C) Puerto Rico;
(D) the United States Virgin Islands; or
(E) any territory or insular possession under the jurisdiction of
the United States.
The term includes an Indian nation or tribe.
(27) "Support enforcement agency" means a public official,
governmental entity, or private agency authorized to:
(A) seek enforcement of support orders or laws relating to the
duty of support;
(B) seek establishment or modification of child support;
(C) request determination of parentage of a child;
(D) attempt to locate obligors or their assets; or
(E) request determination of the controlling child support order.
(28) "Support order" means a judgment, decree, order, or
directive, whether:
(A) temporary;
(B) final; or
(C) subject to modification;
issued in a state or foreign country for the benefit of a child, a
spouse, or a former spouse, which provides for monetary support,
health care, arrearages, retroactive support, or reimbursement for
financial assistance provided to an individual obligee in place of
child support. The term may include related costs and fees,
interest, income withholding, automatic adjustment, reasonable
attorney's fees, and other relief.
(29) "Tribunal" means a court, administrative agency, or
quasi-judicial entity authorized to establish, enforce, or modify
support orders or to determine parentage of a child.