The bill amends Section 26-17-636 of the Code of Alabama 1975 to provide for the retroactivity of child support orders under specific circumstances. Notably, if a child-support order is issued within the first year after the child's birth, it may be retroactive to nine months prior to the child's birth. Additionally, the bill clarifies that a parent's liability for past support is generally limited to two years before the enforcement action unless a prior support order exists. It also specifies that no child-support order can be authorized if the child is not born alive.

The bill includes several technical revisions to update the existing legal language, such as changing the phrasing regarding the payment of fees and costs in court proceedings. For instance, it replaces "to" with "which shall" in the context of fee payments and clarifies that the court may order fees and costs to be paid from a designated fund if a party is unable to pay. Furthermore, it ensures that the court's order regarding the parent-child relationship is determinative for all purposes and mandates that support payments be determined immediately upon establishing paternity. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 26-17-636, 26-17-636
Engrossed: 26-17-636, 26-17-636