FIRSTREGULARSESSION
HOUSEBILLNO.195
102NDGENERALASSEMBLY
INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVEHENDERSON.
0411H.01I DANARADEMANMILLER,ChiefClerk
ANACT
Toamendchapter454,RSMo,byaddingtheretoonenewsectionrelatingtochild
maintenanceordersforcertainpersonsconvictedofdrivingwhileintoxicated.
BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows:
SectionA.Chapter454,RSMo,isamendedbyaddingtheretoonenewsection,tobe
2knownassection454.1050,toreadasfollows:
454.1050.1.Thissectionshallbeknownandmaybecitedas"Bentley'sLaw".
2 2.Ifapersonisconvictedoftheoffenseofdrivingwhileintoxicated,suchoffense
3causedthedeathofaparentorparentsofachildorchildren,andasurvivingparentor
4guardianfilesapetitiontoreceivechildmaintenancefromthepersonconvictedofsuch
5offense,suchpersonshallbeorderedbythecourttopaychildmaintenancetothechild
6orchildrenuntilthechildorchildren:
7 (1)Die;
8 (2)Marry;
9 (3)Enteractivemilitaryduty;
10 (4)Reacheighteenyearsofageunlesstheprovisionsofsubsection3ofthis
11sectionapply;or
12 (5)Reachtwenty-oneyearsofageunlesstheprovisionsofthemaintenanceorder
13specificallyextendbeyondthechild'sorchildren'stwenty-firstbirthdaysforreasons
14providedundersubdivision(1)ofsubsection3ofthissection.
15 3.(1)Ifthechildorchildrenarephysicallyormentallyincapacitatedfrom
16supportingthemselvesandinsolventandunmarried,thecourtmayextendthe
17maintenanceobligationpastthechild'sorchildren'seighteenthbirthday.
EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis
intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 18 (2)(a)Ifthechildorchildrenreacheighteenyearsofageandareenrolledin
19andattendingasecondaryschoolprogramofinstruction,maintenanceshallcontinue,if
20thechildorchildrencontinuetoattendandprogresstowardcompletionofsuch
21program,untilthechildorchildrencompletesuchprogramorreachtwenty-oneyears
22ofage,whicheverfirstoccurs.
23 (b)Ifthechildorchildrenareenrolledinaninstitutionofvocationalorhigher
24educationnolaterthanOctoberfirstfollowinggraduationfromasecondaryschoolor
25completionofagraduationequivalencedegreeprogramandsolongasthechildor
26childrenenrollforandcompleteatleasttwelvehoursofcrediteachsemester,not
27includingthesummersemester,ataninstitutionofvocationalorhighereducationand
28achievegradessufficienttoreenrollatsuchinstitution,maintenanceshallcontinueuntil
29thechildorchildrencompletetheireducationoruntilthechildorchildrenreach
30twenty-oneyearsofage,whicheverfirstoccurs.Toremaineligibleforsuchcontinued
31maintenance,atthebeginningofeachsemesterthechildorchildrenshallsubmittothe
32courtatranscriptorsimilarofficialdocumentprovidedbytheinstitutionofvocational
33orhighereducationthatincludesthecoursesthechildorchildrenareenrolledinand
34havecompletedforeachterm,thegradesandcreditsreceivedforeachsuchcourse,and
35anofficialdocumentfromtheinstitutionlistingthecoursesthatthechildorchildrenare
36enrolledinfortheupcomingtermandthenumberofcreditsforeachsuchcourse.
37Whenenrolledinatleasttwelvecredithours,ifthechildorchildrenreceivefailing
38gradesinhalformoreofthechild'sorchildren'scourseloadinanyonesemester,
39paymentofmaintenanceforthechildorchildrenreceivingthefailinggradesmaybe
40terminatedandshallnotbeeligibleforreinstatement.Uponrequestfornotificationof
41thechild'sorchildren'sgradesbythecourt,thechildorchildrenshallproducethe
42requireddocumentstothecourtwithinthirtydaysofreceiptofgradesfromthe
43educationinstitution.Ifthechildorchildrenfailtoproducetherequireddocuments,
44paymentofmaintenancemayterminatewithouttheaccrualofanymaintenance
45arrearageandshallnotbeeligibleforreinstatement.Ifthecircumstancesofthechildor
46childrenmanifestlydictate,thecourtmaywaivetheOctoberfirstdeadlinefor
47enrollmentrequiredbythissubdivision.Asusedinthissubdivision,"institutionof
48vocationaleducation"meansanypostsecondarytrainingorschoolingforwhichthe
49childisassessedafeeandattendsclassesregularly."Highereducation"meansany
50communitycollege,college,oruniversityatwhichthechildattendsclassesregularly.A
51childorchildrenwhohavebeendiagnosedwithadevelopmentaldisability,asdefined
52undersection630.005,orwhosephysicaldisabilityordiagnosedhealthproblemlimits
53thechild'sorchildren'sabilitytocarrythenumberofcredithoursprescribedinthis
54subdivision,shallremaineligibleformaintenancesolongassuchchildorchildrenare
HB195 2 55enrolledinandattendinganinstitutionofvocationalorhighereducationandthechild
56orchildrencontinuetomeettheotherrequirementsofthissubdivision.Achildor
57childrenwhoareemployedatleastfifteenhoursperweekduringthesemestermaytake
58asfewasninecredithourspersemesterandremaineligibleformaintenancesolongas
59allotherrequirementsofthissubdivisionarecompliedwith.
60 4.Thecourtshallorderthepersonconvictedoftheoffenseofdrivingwhile
61intoxicatedasprovidedundersubsection2ofthissectiontopaymaintenanceinan
62amountthatisreasonableornecessaryforthemaintenanceofthechildorchildrenafter
63consideringallrelevantfactors,including:
64 (1)Thefinancialneedsandresourcesofthechildorchildren;
65 (2)Thefinancialresourcesandneedsofthesurvivingparentor,ifnoother
66parentisaliveorcapableofcaringforthechildorchildren,theguardianofthechildor
67children,includingthestateifthestateistheguardian;
68 (3)Thestandardoflivingthechildorchildrenwouldhaveenjoyed;
69 (4)Thephysicalandemotionalconditionofthechildorchildrenandthechild's
70orchildren'seducationalneeds;
71 (5)Thechild'sorchildren'sphysicalandlegalcustodyarrangements;and
72 (6)Thereasonablework-relatedchildcareexpensesofthesurvivingparentor
73guardian.
74 5.Inadditiontotherelevantfactorslistedundersubsection4ofthissection,the
75courtshallconsidertheguidelinessetoutundersubsection8ofsection452.340and
76MissouriSupremeCourtCivilProcedureRuleForm14indeterminingtheamount
77reasonableornecessaryforthemaintenanceofthechildorchildren.
78 6.(1)Thecourtshallorderthatchildmaintenancepaymentsbemadetothe
79circuitclerkastrusteeforremittancetothesurvivingparentorguardianentitledto
80receivethepayments.Thecircuitclerkshallremitsuchpaymentstothesurviving
81parentorguardianwithinthreeworkingdaysofreceiptbythecircuitclerk.Circuit
82clerksshalldepositallreceiptsnolaterthanthenextworkingdayafterreceipt.
83 (2)Asanalternativetosubdivision(1)ofthissubsection,thecourtmay,uponits
84ownmotion,orderthatmaintenancepaymentsbemadetothefamilysupportpayment
85centerestablishedundersection454.530astrusteeforremittancetothesurviving
86parentorguardian.However,thecourtshallnotorderpaymentstobemadetothe
87paymentcenterifthefamilysupportdivisionnotifiesthecourtthatsuchpaymentsshall
88notbemadetothecenter.Insuchcases,paymentsshallbemadetotheclerkastrustee
89untilthedivisionnotifiesthecourtthatpaymentsshallbedirectedtothepayment
90center.
HB195 3 91 7.Inadditiontoanyotherremedyprovidedbylawfortheenforcementofchild
92maintenance,ifamaintenanceorderhasbeenentered,thedirectorofthefamily
93supportdivisionorthedirector'sdesigneeshallissueanorderdirectinganyemployeror
94otherpayerofthepersonrequiredtopaychildmaintenanceunderthissectionto
95withholdandpayovertothefamilysupportdivisionortheclerkofthecircuitcourtin
96thecountyinwhichatrusteeshipisorwillbeestablishedmoneysdueortobecomedue
97tothesurvivingparentorguardianforthechildorchildreninanamountnottoexceed
98federalwagegarnishmentlimitations.
99 8.Ifapersonorderedtopaychildmaintenanceunderthissectionis
100incarceratedandunabletopaytherequiredmaintenance,thepersonshallhaveupto
101oneyearafterthereleasefromincarcerationtobeginpayment,includinganyarrearage.
102Ifanyobligationunderthissectionistoterminateasprovidedundersubsection2ofthis
103sectionbuttheperson'sobligationisnotpaidinfull,paymentsshallcontinueuntilthe
104entirearrearageispaid.
105 9.(1)Ifthesurvivingparentorguardianofthechildorchildrenbringsacivil
106actionagainstthepersonconvictedofdrivingwhileintoxicatedpriortoanychild
107maintenanceorderunderthissectionandthesurvivingparentorguardianobtainsa
108judgmentinhisorherfavorinthecivilsuit,nomaintenanceshallbeorderedunderthis
109section.
110 (2)Ifthecourtorderschildmaintenanceunderthissectionbutthesurviving
111parentorguardianbringsacivilactionandobtainsajudgmentinhisorherfavor,the
112childmaintenanceordershalloffsetthejudgmentawardedinthecivilaction.
113 10.Theprovisionsofanyorderrespectingmaintenanceunderthissectionmay
114bemodifiedonlyuponashowingofchangedcircumstancessosubstantialand
115continuingastomakethetermsunreasonable.
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