The bill amends Section 15-5-16.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 15-5, which deals with child support, to allow for the extension of child support payments until the age of 21 for children attending a two-year or four-year college and living with the custodial parent. This represents a significant change from the previous law, which ended child support and education costs by the child's 19th birthday. The bill also grants the court discretion to appoint an attorney or guardian ad litem for minors in support, custody, and visitation matters, and outlines their roles and immunities. It includes provisions for the review and alteration of child support decrees, stating that incarceration cannot be considered voluntary unemployment for the purposes of modifying child support obligations.

Furthermore, the bill allows for automatic modification or suspension of child support orders by the Department of Human Services when a noncustodial parent is incarcerated for 180 days or more. It also addresses enforcement of support orders, including the assignment of tangible personal property to satisfy arrears and the inclusion of health insurance coverage in child support orders. The bill mandates that all support orders be recorded in the Rhode Island family court system and requires parties to update their information. It includes an insertion that specifies the duty of a parent to pay support to the custodian of the child. The bill empowers the court to order child support based on established guidelines, with the ability to adjust the amount if deemed inequitable, and takes effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
398: 15-5-16.2, 15-9-1