§ 1711. Purposes.
§ 1712. Definitions.
§ 1713. Remedies of chapter in addition to those now existing.
§ 1714. Duties of support regardless of presence or residency.
The purposes of this chapter are to improve and extend by reciprocal legislation the enforcement of duties of support and to make uniform the law with respect thereto.
(1) "Court" means the Trial Division of the High Court of the Trust Territory, and when the context requires means the court of any State as defined in a substantially similar reciprocal law.
(2) "District attorney" means the public official in the appropriate place who has the duty to enforce criminal laws relating to the failure to provide for the support of any person.
(3) "Duty of support" means a duty of support whether imposed or imposable by law or by order, decree, or judgment of any court, whether interlocutory or final or whether incidental to an action for divorce, separation, separate maintenance, or otherwise, and includes the duty to pay arrearages of support past due and unpaid.
(4) "Governor" includes the High Commissioner of the Trust Territory and any person performing the functions of Governor or the executive authority of any State covered by this chapter.
(5) "Initiating State" means a State in which a proceeding pursuant to this or a substantially similar reciprocal law is commenced. "Initiating court" means the court in which a proceeding is commenced.
(6) "Law" includes both common and statutory law.
(7) "Obligee" means a person, including a State or political subdivision, to whom a duty of support is owed, or a person, including a State or political subdivision, that has commenced a proceeding for enforcement of an alleged duty of support or for registration of a support order. It is immaterial whether the person to whom a duty of support is owed is a recipient of public assistance.
(8) "Obligor" means any person owing a duty of support or against whom a proceeding for the enforcement of a duty of support or registration of a support order is commenced.
(9) "Register" means to file in the Registry of Foreign Support Orders.
(10) "Registering court" means any court of the Trust Territory in which a support order of a rendering State is registered.
(11) "Rendering State" means a State in which the court has issued a support order for which registration is sought or granted in the court of another State.
(12) "Responding State" means a State in which any responsive proceeding pursuant to the proceeding in the initiating State is commenced. "Responding court" means the court in which the responsive proceeding is commenced.
(13) "State" includes a State, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Trust Territory, and any foreign jurisdiction in which this or a substantially similar reciprocal law is in effect.
(14) "Support order" means any judgment, decree, or order of support in favor of an obligee, whether temporary or final, or subject to modification, revocation, or remission, regardless of the kind of action or proceeding in which it is entered.
Duties of support arising under the law of the Trust Territory, when applicable under this code, bind the obligor present in the Trust Territory regardless of the presence or residence of the obligee.