TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT
DIVISION 3: JUDICIAL BRANCH
§ 3206. Child Support Guidelines. The Commonwealth Superior Court is hereby authorized to adopt court rules setting guidelines to be followed in its Family Court division in the determination of child support awards. The guidelines shall establish presumptive amounts of monthly child support owed, depending on income level. The guidelines shall reflect the priority of the duty to support children over the other financial obligations of parents and the duty of all non-custodial parents to financially contribute to the support of their children. The guidelines shall further ensure uniformity and simplicity in awarding support amounts, while allowing for departures from the presumptive amounts when warranted by specific facts germane to the establishment of just levels of child support. The guidelines shall be duly promulgated and revised as necessary in accordance with regular procedures for adopting court rules. Source: PL 11-10, § 2. Commission Comment: PL 11-10 that created this new section took effect April 16, 1998. According to PL 11-10, § 1: Section 1. Findings. The Eleventh Northern Mariana Islands Legislature finds that child support is an obligation that takes priority over all other obligations except for mandatory wage deductions such as taxes and social security. It is the purpose of this legislation to authorize and direct the Commonwealth Superior Court to establish presumptive child support guidelines by court rule. Such guidelines shall implement the following primary goals: (1) to obtain uniformity in child support awards; (2) to ensure that children from single parent homes have the same or similar financial security that they would have if they lived in a traditional, two parent family home; and (3) to reduce litigation and costs attributable to child support disputes by encouraging settlement between custodial and non-custodial parents.