HEALTH CARE COVERAGE; CHILD SUPPORT                         H.B. 4304 (H-1) & 4305 (H-1):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4304 (Substitute H-1 as reported without amendment)

House Bill 4305 (Substitute H-1 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Hank Vaupel

House Committee:  Families, Children, and Seniors

                             Ways and Means

Senate Committee:  Families, Seniors, and Veterans

CONTENT

House Bill 4304 (H-1) would amend the Support and Parenting Time Enforcement Act to do the following:

-- Modify a requirement for a court to order a permit to obtain health care coverage under a child support order.

-- Require the court to use guidelines as provided in the child support formula developed by the State Friend of the Court (FOC) Bureau to determine health care coverage that was accessible to the child and available at a reasonable cost.

-- Require the FOC office to comply with certain provisions related to a new hire report entered into the State directory of new hires if a parent were ordered to pay support or obtain or maintain health care coverage through an employer or both.

-- Require a notice of noncompliance sent to a parent to indicate that if the order for dependent health care coverage did not specify whether it should be private or public health care coverage that the parent could obtain either type of coverage.

House Bill 4305 (H-1) would amend the Friend of the Court Act to do the following:

-- Modify the grounds under which the FOC office could review a child support order.

-- Modify the circumstances under which the FOC office must petition to the court for a modification to require one or both parents to obtain or maintain health care coverage for the benefit of the child.

-- Require the child support formula developed by the Bureau to include guidelines for determining which parent would have to maintain health care coverage for the child.

MCL 552.602 et al. (H.B. 4304)                                  Legislative Analyst:  Tyler VanHuyse

       552.502 et al. (H.B. 4305)

FISCAL IMPACT

The bills could have a minor, negative fiscal impact on the State Court Administrative Office and an indeterminate fiscal impact on local Friend of the Court offices and circuit courts.

The bills would require the State Friend of the Court Bureau, housed within the State Court Administrative Office, to amend its current child support formula guidelines.  The minor cost for this change likely would be absorbed by the State Court Administrative Office.

The bills also would modify instances in which each Friend of the Court office for each judicial circuit would have to file a petition on behalf of a child to modify health care coverage.  It is unclear if this change would result in an increase or decrease in filed petitions; however, any increase or decrease likely would be minimal.

To the extent the bills would change statute to meet current policy, there likely would be no fiscal impact on the Department of Health and Human Services.

Date Completed:  5-16-19                                                  Fiscal Analyst:  John Maxwell

                                                                                                       Michael Siracuse

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.