Massachusetts Statutes

Section 5–504. Immunity from civil liability. An employer or other source of periodic income that complies with an income withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this chapter is not subject to civil liability to an individual or agency with regard to the with…

Section 5–505. Penalties for noncompliance. An employer or other source of periodic income that willfully fails to comply with an income withholding order issued in another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance w…

Section 5–506. Contest by obligor. (a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an income withholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer or other source of periodic income in the commonwealth by registering the order in a tribunal of t…

Section 5–507. Administrative enforcement of orders. (a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order …

Section 6–601. Registration of order for enforcement. A support order or an income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order may be registered in the commonwealth for enforcement.

Section 6–602. Procedure to register order for enforcement. (a) Except as otherwise provided in section 7–706, a support order or income-withholding order of another state or a foreign support order may be registered in the commonwealth by sending the following records to the app…

Section 6–603. Effect of registration for enforcement. (a) A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered when the order is filed in the registering tribunal of the commonwealth. (b) A registered support order issued i…

Section 6–604. Choice of law. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d), the law of the issuing state or foreign country governs: (1) the nature, extent, amount and duration of current payments under a registered support order; (2) the computation and payment of arrearag…

Section 6–605. Notice of registration of order. (a) When a support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered, the registering tribunal of the commonwealth shall notify the nonregistering party. The notice must be accompanie…

Section 6–606. Procedure to contest validity or enforcement of registered support order. (a) A nonregistering party seeking to contest the validity or enforcement of a registered support order in the commonwealth shall request a hearing within the time required by section 6–605. …

Section 6–607. Contest of registration or enforcement. (a) A party contesting the validity or enforcement of a registered support order or seeking to vacate the registration has the burden of proving 1 or more of the following defenses: (1) the issuing tribunal lacked personal ju…

Section 6–608. Confirmed order. Confirmation of a registered support order, whether by operation of law or after notice and hearing, precludes further contest of the order with respect to any matter that could have been asserted at the time of registration.

Section 6–609. Procedure to register child support order of another state for modification. A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child support order issued in another state shall register that order in the commonwealth in the same m…

Section 6–610. Effect of registration for modification. A tribunal of the commonwealth may enforce a child support order of another state registered for purposes of modification, in the same manner as if the order had been issued by a tribunal of the commonwealth, but the registe…

Section 6–611. Modification of child support order of another state. (a) If section 6–613 does not apply, upon petition a tribunal of the commonwealth may modify a child support order issued in another state which is registered in the commonwealth if, after notice and hearing, th…

Section 6–612. Recognition of order modified in another state. If a child support order issued by a tribunal of the commonwealth is modified by a tribunal of another state which assumed jurisdiction pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, a tribunal of the commonwe…

Section 6–613. Jurisdiction to modify child support order of another state when individual parties reside in the commonwealth. (a) If all of the parties who are individuals reside in the commonwealth and the child does not reside in the issuing state, a tribunal of the commonweal…

Section 6–614. Notice to issuing tribunal of modification. Within 30 days after issuance of a modified child support order, the party obtaining the modification shall file a certified copy of the order with the issuing tribunal that had continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over the…

Section 6–615. Jurisdiction to modify child support order of foreign country. (a) Except as otherwise provided in section 7–711, if a foreign country lacks or refuses to exercise jurisdiction to modify its child support order pursuant to its laws, a tribunal of the commonwealth m…

Section 6–616. Procedure to register child support order of foreign country for modification. A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a foreign child support order not under the Convention may register that order in the commonwealth unde…

Section 7–701. Definitions. In this article: (1) ''Application'', a request under the Convention by an obligee or obligor or on behalf of a child, made through a central authority for assistance from another central authority. (2) ''Central authority'', the entity designated by t…

Section 7–702. Applicability. This article applies only to a support proceeding under the Convention. In such a proceeding, if a provision of this article is inconsistent with Articles 1 to 6, inclusive, this article controls.

Section 7–703. Relationship of Department of Revenue to United States Central Authority. The department of revenue of the commonwealth is recognized as the agency designated by the United States central authority to perform specific functions under the Convention.

Section 7–704. Initiation by Department of Revenue of support proceeding under Convention. (a) In a support proceeding under this article, the department of revenue of the commonwealth shall: (1) transmit and receive applications; and (2) initiate or facilitate the institution of…

Section 7–705. Direct request. (a) A petitioner may file a direct request seeking establishment or modification of a support order or determination of parentage of a child. In the proceeding, the law of the commonwealth applies. (b) A petitioner may file a direct request seeking …

Section 7–706. Registration of Convention support order. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a party who is an individual or a support enforcement agency seeking recognition of a Convention support order shall register the order in the commonwealth as provided in Ar…

Section 7–707. Contest of registered Convention support order. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, sections 6–605 to 6–608, inclusive, apply to a contest of a registered Convention support order. (b) A party contesting a registered Convention support order shall fil…

Section 7–708. Recognition and enforcement of registered Convention support order. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), a tribunal of the commonwealth shall recognize and enforce a registered Convention support order. (b) The following grounds are the only grounds …

Section 7–709. Partial enforcement. If a tribunal of the commonwealth does not recognize and enforce a Convention support order in its entirety, it shall enforce any severable part of the order. An application or direct request may seek recognition and partial enforcement of a Co…

Section 7–710. Foreign support agreement. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (d), a tribunal of the commonwealth shall recognize and enforce a foreign support agreement registered in the commonwealth. (b) An application or direct request for recognition and e…

Section 7–711. Modification of Convention child support order. (a) A tribunal of the commonwealth may not modify a Convention child support order if the obligee remains a resident of the foreign country where the support order was issued unless: (1) the obligee submits to the jur…

Section 7–712. Personal information; limit on use. Personal information gathered or transmitted under this article may be used only for the purposes for which it was gathered or transmitted.

Section 7–713. Record in original language; English translation. A record filed with a tribunal of the commonwealth under this article must be in the original language and, if not in English, must be accompanied by an English translation.

Section 8–801. Grounds for rendition. (a) For purposes of this article, ''governor'' includes an individual performing the functions of governor or the executive authority of a state covered by this chapter. (b) The governor of the commonwealth may: (1) demand that the governor o…

Section 8–802. Conditions of rendition. (a) Before making a demand that the governor of another state surrender an individual charged criminally in the commonwealth with having failed to provide for the support of an obligee, the governor of the commonwealth may require a prosecu…

Section 9–901. Uniformity of application and construction. In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

Section 1. A person of full age may petition the probate court in the county where he resides for leave to adopt as his child another person younger than himself, unless such other person is his or her wife or husband. A minor may likewise petition, or join in the petition of his…

Section 10. If the child has been previously adopted, all the legal consequences of the former decree shall, upon a subsequent adoption, determine, except so far as any interest in property may have vested in the adopted child, and a decree to that effect shall be entered on the …

Section 11. The supreme judicial court may allow a parent, who, upon a petition for adoption, had no notice of the proceedings before the decree and had neither waived notice in accordance with section two nor been the subject of a decree dispensing with need for notice in accord…

Section 11A. Any person or entity other than a duly authorized agent or employee of the department of children and families or a child care or placement agency licensed under the provisions of chapter 15D, who causes to be published in the commonwealth an advertisement or notice …

Section 12. A petition for the change of name of a person may be heard by the probate court in the county where the petitioner resides. The change of name of a person shall be granted unless such change is inconsistent with public interests.

Section 13. The court shall, before decreeing a change of name, request a report from the commissioner of probation on the person filing the petition and, except for good cause shown, require public notice of the petition to be given and any person may be heard thereon, and, upon…

Section 14. Each register of probate shall annually, in December, make a return to the commissioner of public health and the commissioner of probation of all changes of name made in his court.

Section 2. A decree of adoption shall not be made, except as provided in this chapter, without the written consent of the child to be adopted, if above the age of twelve; of the child's spouse, if any; of the lawful parents, who may be previous adoptive parents, or surviving pare…

Section 2A. No decree of adoption shall be entered for the adoption of a child below the age of fourteen until one of the following conditions has been met:— (A) The child sought to be adopted has been placed with the petitioners for adoption by the department of children and fam…

Section 2B. Every decree of adoption entered by the court shall include the words ''This adoption is final and irrevocable.''