Article 4 - Child Support Commissioners

California Family Code — §§ 4250-4253

Sections (4)

Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 808, Sec. 42. Effective September 28, 2000.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares the following:

(1)Child and spousal support are serious legal obligations.

(2)The current system for obtaining, modifying, and enforcing child and spousal support orders is inadequate to meet the future needs of California’s children due to burgeoning caseloads within local child support agencies and the growing number of parents who are representing themselves in family law actions.

(3)The success of California’s child support enforcement program depends upon its ability to establish and enforce child support orders quickly and efficiently.

(4)There is a compelling state interest in creating an expedited process in the courts that is cost-effective and accessible to families, for establishing and enforcing child support orders in cases being enforced by the local child support agency.

(5)There is a compelling state interest in having a simple, speedy, conflict-reducing system, that is both cost-effective and accessible to families, for resolving all issues concerning children, including support, health insurance, custody, and visitation in family law cases that do not involve enforcement by the local child support agency.

(b)Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to:

(1)provide for commissioners to hear child support cases being enforced by the local child support agency; (2) adopt uniform and simplified procedures for all child support cases; and (3) create an Office of the Family Law Facilitator in the courts to provide education, information, and assistance to parents with child support issues.

§ 4251

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 115, Sec. 49. (AB 1817) Effective January 1, 2020.

(a)Commencing July 1, 1997, each superior court shall provide sufficient commissioners to hear Title IV-D child support cases filed by the local child support agency. The number of child support commissioners required in each county shall be determined by the Judicial Council as prescribed by paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 4252. All actions or proceedings filed by the local child support agency in a support action or proceeding in which enforcement services are being provided pursuant to Section 17400, for an order to establish, modify, or enforce child or spousal support, including actions to establish parentage, shall be referred for hearing to a child support commissioner unless a child

support commissioner is not available due to exceptional circumstances, as prescribed by the Judicial Council pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 4252. All actions or proceedings filed by a party other than the local child support agency to modify or enforce a support order established by the local child support agency or for which enforcement services are being provided pursuant to Section 17400 shall be referred for hearing to a child support commissioner unless a child support commissioner is not available due to exceptional circumstances, as prescribed by the Judicial Council pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 4252.

(b)The commissioner shall act as a temporary judge unless an objection is made by the local child support agency or any other party. The Judicial Council shall develop a notice that

shall be included on all forms and pleadings used to initiate a child support action or proceeding that advises the parties of their right to review by a superior court judge and how to exercise that right. The parties shall also be advised by the court prior to the commencement of the hearing that the matter is being heard by a commissioner who shall act as a temporary judge unless any party objects to the commissioner acting as a temporary judge. While acting as a temporary judge, the commissioner shall receive no compensation other than compensation as a commissioner.

(c)If a party objects to the commissioner acting as a temporary judge, the commissioner may hear the matter and make findings of fact and a recommended order. Within 10 court days, a judge shall ratify the recommended order unless either party objects to the

recommended order, or where a recommended order is in error. In both cases, the judge shall issue a temporary order and schedule a hearing de novo within 10 court days. A party may waive the right to the review hearing at any time.

(d)The commissioner, where appropriate, shall do any of the following:

(1)Review and determine ex parte applications for orders and writs.

(2)Take testimony.

(3)Establish a record, evaluate evidence, and make recommendations or decisions.

(4)Enter judgments or orders based upon voluntary acknowledgments of support liability and parentage and stipulated agreements

respecting the amount of child support to be paid.

(5)Enter default orders and judgments pursuant to Section 4253.

(6)In actions in which parentage is at issue, order the mother, child, and alleged father to submit to genetic tests.

(e)The commissioner shall, upon application of a party, join issues concerning custody, visitation, and protective orders in the action filed by the local child support agency, subject to Section 17404. After joinder, the commissioner shall:

(1)Refer the parents for mediation of disputed custody or visitation issues pursuant to Section 3170.

(2)Accept stipulated agreements

concerning custody, visitation, and protective orders and enter orders pursuant to the agreements.

(3)Refer contested issues of custody, visitation, and protective orders to a judge or to another commissioner for hearing. A child support commissioner may hear contested custody, visitation, and restraining order issues only if the court has adopted procedures to segregate the costs of hearing Title IV-D child support issues from the costs of hearing other issues pursuant to applicable federal requirements.

(f)The local child support agency shall be served notice by the moving party of any proceeding under this section in which support is at issue. An order for support that is entered without the local child support agency having received proper notice shall be voidable upon the

motion of the local child support agency.

§ 4252

Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 784, Sec. 105. Effective January 1, 2003.

(a)The superior court shall appoint one or more subordinate judicial officers as child support commissioners to perform the duties specified in Section 4251. The child support commissioners’ first priority always shall be to hear Title IV-D child support cases. The child support commissioners shall specialize in hearing child support cases, and their primary responsibility shall be to hear Title IV-D child support cases. Notwithstanding Section 71622 of the Government Code, the number of child support commissioner positions allotted to each court shall be determined by the Judicial Council in accordance with caseload standards developed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), subject to appropriations in the annual Budget Act.

(b)The Judicial Council shall do all of the following:

(1)Establish minimum qualifications for child support commissioners.

(2)Establish minimum

educational and training requirements for child support commissioners and other court personnel that are assigned to Title IV-D child support cases. Training programs shall include both federal and state laws concerning child support and related issues.

(3)Establish caseload, case processing, and staffing standards for child support commissioners on or before April 1, 1997, which shall set forth the maximum number of cases that each child support commissioner can process. These standards shall be reviewed and, if appropriate, revised by the Judicial Council every two years.

(4)Adopt uniform rules of court and forms for use in Title IV-D child support cases.

(5)Offer technical assistance to courts regarding issues relating to implementation and operation of the child support commissioner system, including assistance related to funding, staffing, and the sharing of resources between courts.

(6)Establish procedures for the distribution of funding to the courts for child support commissioners, family law facilitators pursuant to Division 14 (commencing with Section 10000), and related allowable costs.

(7)Adopt rules that define the exceptional circumstances in which judges may hear Title IV-D child support matters as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 4251.

(8)Undertake other actions as appropriate to ensure the successful implementation and operation of child support commissioners in the counties.

(c)As used in this article, “Title IV-D” means Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq.).

§ 4253

Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 957, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1997.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when hearing child support matters, a commissioner or referee may enter default orders if the defendant does not respond to notice or other process within the time prescribed to respond to that notice.