41 chapters · 927 sections in this title.
RCW 74.20.010 Purpose—Legislative intent—Chapter to be liberally construed.
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It is the responsibility of the state of Washington through the state department of social and health services to conserve the expenditure of public assistance funds, whenever possible, in order that such funds shall not be expended if there are private funds available or which c…
RCW 74.20.021 Definitions.
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See RCW 74.20A.020.
RCW 74.20.040 Duty of department to enforce child support—Requests for support enforcement services—Schedule of fees—Waiver—Rules.
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(1) Whenever the department receives an application for public assistance on behalf of a child, the department shall take appropriate action under the provisions of this chapter, chapter 74.20A RCW, or other appropriate statutes of this state to establish or enforce support oblig…
RCW 74.20.045 Employment status—Self-employed individuals—Enforcement.
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The office of support enforcement shall, as a matter of policy, use all available remedies for the enforcement of support obligations where the obligor is a self-employed individual. The office of support enforcement shall not discriminate in favor of certain obligors based upon …
RCW 74.20.055 Designated agency under federal law—Role of prosecuting attorneys.
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The department of social and health services office of support enforcement is the designated agency in Washington state to administer the child support program under Title IV-D of the federal social security act and is responsible for providing necessary and mandated support enfo…
RCW 74.20.057 Adjudicative proceedings—Role of department.
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When the department appears or participates in an adjudicative proceeding under chapter 26.23 or 74.20A RCW it shall:(1) Act in furtherance of the state's financial interest in the matter;(2) Act in the best interests of the children of the state;(3) Facilitate the resolution of …
RCW 74.20.060 Cooperation by person having custody of child—Penalty.
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Any person having the care, custody or control of any dependent child or children who shall fail or refuse to cooperate with the department of social and health services, any prosecuting attorney or the attorney general in the course of administration of provisions of this chapte…
RCW 74.20.065 Wrongful deprivation of custody—Legal custodian excused from support payments.
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If the legal custodian has been wrongfully deprived of physical custody, the department is authorized to excuse the custodian from support payments for a child or children receiving or on whose behalf public assistance was provided under chapter 74.12 RCW, or for a child or child…
RCW 74.20.101 Payment of support moneys to state support registry—Notice—Effects of noncompliance.
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(1) A responsible parent shall make all support payments through the office of support enforcement or the Washington state support registry if:(a) The parent's support order contains a provision directing the parent to make support payments through the office of support enforceme…
RCW 74.20.160 Department may disclose information to internal revenue department.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 74.04.060, upon approval of the department of health, education and welfare of the federal government, the department of social and health services may disclose to and keep the internal revenue department of the treasury of the United States …
RCW 74.20.210 Attorney general may act under Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act pursuant to agreement with prosecuting attorney.
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The prosecuting attorney of any county except a county with a population of one million or more may enter into an agreement with the attorney general whereby the duty to initiate petitions for support authorized under the provisions of *chapter 26.21 RCW as it is now or hereafter…
RCW 74.20.220 Powers of department through the attorney general or prosecuting attorney.
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In order to carry out its responsibilities imposed under this chapter and as required by federal law, the state department of social and health services, through the attorney general or prosecuting attorney, is hereby authorized to:(1) Initiate an action in superior court to obta…
RCW 74.20.225 Subpoena authority—Enforcement.
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In carrying out the provisions of this chapter or chapters 26.18, 26.23, 26.26A, 26.26B, and 74.20A RCW, the secretary and other duly authorized officers of the department may subpoena witnesses, take testimony, and compel the production of such papers, books, records, and docume…
RCW 74.20.230 Petition for support order by married parent with minor children who are receiving public assistance.
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Any married parent with minor children, natural or legally adopted children who is receiving public assistance may apply to the superior court of the county in which such parent resides or in which the spouse may be found for an order upon such spouse, if such spouse is the natur…
RCW 74.20.240 Petition for support order by married parent with minor children who are receiving public assistance—Order—Powers of court.
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(1) After the hearing of the petition for an order of support the court shall make an order granting or denying it and fixing, if allowed, the terms and amount of the support. (2) The court has the same power to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of testimony a…
RCW 74.20.250 Petition for support order by married parent with minor children who are receiving public assistance—Waiver of filing fees.
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The court may, upon satisfactory showing that the petitioner is without funds to pay the filing fee, order that the petition and other papers be filed without payment of the fee.[ 1963 c 206 s 10.]
RCW 74.20.260 Financial statements by parent whose absence is basis of application for public assistance.
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Any parent in the state whose absence is the basis upon which an application is filed for public assistance on behalf of a child shall be required to complete a statement, under oath, of his or her current monthly income, his or her total income over the past twelve months, the n…
RCW 74.20.280 Central unit for information and administration—Cooperation enjoined—Availability of records.
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The department is authorized and directed to establish a central unit to serve as a registry for the receipt of information, for answering interstate inquiries concerning the parents of dependent children, to coordinate and supervise departmental activities in relation to such pa…
RCW 74.20.300 Department exempt from fees relating to paternity or support.
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No filing or recording fees, court fees, or fees for making copies of documents shall be required from the state department of social and health services by any county clerk, county auditor, or other county officer for the filing of any actions or documents necessary to establish…
RCW 74.20.310 Guardian ad litem in actions brought to determine parent and child relationship—Notice.
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(1) The provisions of RCW 26.26A.485 requiring appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent the child in an action brought to determine the parent and child relationship do not apply to actions brought under chapter 26.26A or 26.26B RCW if:(a) The action is brought by the atto…
RCW 74.20.320 Custodian to remit support moneys when department has support obligation—Noncompliance.
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Whenever a custodian of children, or other person, receives support moneys paid to them which moneys are paid in whole or in part in satisfaction of a support obligation which has been assigned to the department pursuant to Title IV-A of the federal social security act as amended…
RCW 74.20.330 Payment of public assistance as assignment of rights to support.
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(1) Whenever public assistance is paid under a state program funded under Title IV-A of the federal social security act as amended by the personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996, and the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, each applicant or reci…
RCW 74.20.340 Employees' case workload standards.
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The department shall develop workload standards for each employee classification involved in support enforcement activities for each category of support enforcement cases.[ 1998 c 245 s 150; 1979 ex.s. c 171 s 25.]Notes:Severability—1979 ex.s. c 171: See note following RCW 74.20.…
RCW 74.20.350 Costs and attorneys' fees.
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In order to facilitate and ensure compliance with Title IV-D of the federal social security act, now existing or hereafter amended, wherein the state is required to undertake to establish parentage of such children as are born out of wedlock, the secretary of social and health se…
RCW 74.20.360 Orders for genetic testing.
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(1) The division of child support may issue an order for genetic testing when providing services under this chapter and Title IV-D of the federal social security act if genetic testing:(a) Is appropriate in an action under chapter 26.26A RCW, the uniform parentage act;(b) Is appr…
RCW 74.20.901 Construction—Chapter applicable to state registered domestic partnerships—2009 c 521.
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For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …