H-2450.2

HOUSE BILL 2254

ByRepresentatives Walen, Reeves, Reed, and Springer

AN ACT Relating to implementing recommendations of the 2023 child support schedule work group; amending RCW 26.19.065, 26.19.071, 26.19.080, 26.09.170, 26.23.050, 74.20A.055, 74.20A.056, 74.20A.059, and 26.19.020; reenacting and amending RCW 26.09.004; adding new sections to chapter 26.09 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 26.19.065 and 2018 c 150 s 401 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Limit at ((forty-five))45 percent of a parent's net income. Neither parent's child support obligation owed for all his or her biological or legal children may exceed ((forty-five))45 percent of net income except for good cause shown.

(a) Each child is entitled to a pro rata share of the income available for support, but the court only applies the pro rata share to the children in the case before the court.

(b) Before determining whether to apply the ((forty-five))45 percent limitation, the court must consider whether it would be unjust to apply the limitation after considering the best interests of the child and the circumstances of each parent. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, leaving insufficient funds in the custodial parent's household to meet the basic needs of the child, comparative hardship to the affected households, assets or liabilities, and any involuntary limits on either parent's earning capacity including incarceration, disabilities, or incapacity.

(c) Good cause includes, but is not limited to, possession of substantial wealth, children with day care expenses, special medical need, educational need, psychological need, and larger families.

(2) Presumptive minimum support obligation. (a) When a parent's monthly net income is below ((one hundred twenty-five))125 percent of the federal poverty guideline for a one-person family, a support order of not less than ((fifty dollars))$50 per child per month shall be entered unless the obligor parent establishes that it would be unjust to do so in that particular case. The decision whether there is a sufficient basis to deviate below the presumptive minimum payment must take into consideration the best interests of the child and the circumstances of each parent. Such circumstances can include leaving insufficient funds in the custodial parent's household to meet the basic needs of the child, comparative hardship to the affected households, assets or liabilities, and earning capacity.

(b) The basic support obligation of the parent making the transfer payment, excluding health care, day care, and special child-rearing expenses, shall not reduce his or her net income below the self-support reserve of ((one hundred twenty-five))180 percent of the federal poverty level for a one-person family, except for the presumptive minimum payment of ((fifty dollars))$50 per child per month or when it would be unjust to apply the self-support reserve limitation after considering the best interests of the child and the circumstances of each parent. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, leaving insufficient funds in the custodial parent's household to meet the basic needs of the child, comparative hardship to the affected households, assets or liabilities, and earning capacity. This section shall not be construed to require monthly substantiation of income.

(3) Income above ((twelve thousand dollars))$50,000. The economic table is presumptive for combined monthly net incomes up to and including ((twelve thousand dollars))$50,000. When combined monthly net income exceeds ((twelve thousand dollars))$50,000, the court may exceed the presumptive amount of support set for combined monthly net incomes of ((twelve thousand dollars))$50,000 upon written findings of fact.

Sec. 2. RCW 26.19.071 and 2020 c 227 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Consideration of all income. All income and resources of each parent's household shall be disclosed and considered by the court when the court determines the child support obligation of each parent. Only the income of the parents of the children whose support is at issue shall be calculated for purposes of calculating the basic support obligation. Income and resources of any other person shall not be included in calculating the basic support obligation.

(2) Verification of income. Tax returns for the preceding two years and current paystubs shall be provided to verify income and deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or paystubs.

(3) Income sources included in gross monthly income. Except as specifically excluded in subsection (4) of this section, monthly gross income shall include income from any source, including:

(a) Salaries;

(b) Wages;

(c) Commissions;

(d) Deferred compensation;

(e) Overtime, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section;

(f) Contract-related benefits;

(g) Income from second jobs, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section;

(h) Dividends;

(i) Interest;

(j) Trust income;

(k) Severance pay;

(l) Annuities;

(m) Capital gains;

(n) Pension retirement benefits;

(o) Workers' compensation;

(p) Unemployment benefits;

(q) Maintenance actually received;

(r) Bonuses;

(s) Social security benefits;

(t) Disability insurance benefits; and

(u) Income from self-employment, rent, royalties, contracts, proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation.

(4) Income sources excluded from gross monthly income. The following income and resources shall be disclosed but shall not be included in gross income:

(a) Income of a new spouse or new domestic partner or income of other adults in the household;

(b) Child support received from other relationships;

(c) Gifts and prizes;

(d) Temporary assistance for needy families;

(e) Supplemental security income;

(f) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits;

(g) Pregnant women assistance benefits;

(h) Food stamps; and

(i) Overtime or income from second jobs beyond ((forty))40 hours per week averaged over a ((twelve))12-month period worked to provide for a current family's needs, to retire past relationship debts, or to retire child support debt, when the court finds the income will cease when the party has paid off his or her debts.

Receipt of income and resources from temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, and food stamps shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.

(5) Determination of net income. The following expenses shall be disclosed and deducted from gross monthly income to calculate net monthly income:

(a) Federal and state income taxes;

(b) Federal insurance contributions act deductions;

(c) Mandatory pension plan payments;

(d) Mandatory union or professional dues;

(e) Mandatory state insurance premiums actually paid;

(f) State industrial insurance premiums;

(((f)))(g) Court-ordered maintenance to the extent actually paid;

(((g)))(h) Up to ((five thousand dollars))$5,000 per year in voluntary retirement contributions actually made if the contributions show a pattern of contributions during the one-year period preceding the action establishing the child support order unless there is a determination that the contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support; and

(((h)))(i) Normal business expenses and self-employment taxes for self-employed persons. Justification shall be required for any business expense deduction about which there is disagreement.

Items deducted from gross income under this subsection shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.

(6) Imputation of income. The court shall impute income to a parent when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. The court shall determine whether the parent is voluntarily underemployed or voluntarily unemployed based upon that parent's assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job skills, educational attainment, literacy, health, age, criminal record, dependency court obligations, and other employment barriers, record of seeking work, the local job market, the availability of employers willing to hire the parent, the prevailing earnings level in the local community, or any other relevant factors. A court shall not impute income to a parent who is gainfully employed on a full-time basis, unless the court finds that the parent is voluntarily underemployed and finds that the parent is purposely underemployed to reduce the parent's child support obligation. Income shall not be imputed for an unemployable parent. Income shall not be imputed to a parent to the extent the parent is unemployed or significantly underemployed due to the parent's efforts to comply with court-ordered reunification efforts under chapter 13.34 RCW or under a voluntary placement agreement with an agency supervising the child.

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, in the absence of records of a parent's actual earnings, the court shall impute a parent's income in the following order of priority:

(i) Full-time earnings at the current rate of pay;

(ii) Full-time earnings at the historical rate of pay based on reliable information, such as employment security department data;

(iii) Full-time earnings at a past rate of pay where information is incomplete or sporadic;

(iv) Earnings of ((thirty-two))32 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent is on or recently coming off temporary assistance for needy families or recently coming off aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, pregnant women assistance benefits, essential needs and housing support, supplemental security income, or disability, has recently been released from incarceration, or is a recent high school graduate. Imputation of earnings at ((thirty-two))32 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption;

(v) Full-time earnings at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent has a recent history of minimum wage earnings, has never been employed and has no earnings history, or has no significant earnings history;

(vi) Median net monthly income of year-round full-time workers as derived from the United States bureau of census, current population reports, or such replacement report as published by the bureau of census.

(b) When a parent is currently enrolled in high school full-time, the court shall consider the totality of the circumstances of both parents when determining whether each parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. If a parent who is currently enrolled in high school is determined to be voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed, the court shall impute income at earnings of ((twenty))20 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where that parent resides. Imputation of earnings at ((twenty))20 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption.

Sec. 3. RCW 26.19.080 and 2009 c 84 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The basic child support obligation derived from the economic table shall be allocated between the parents based on each parent's share of the combined monthly net income.

(2) Health care costs are not included in the economic table. Monthly health care costs shall be shared by the parents in the same proportion as the basic child support obligation. Health care costs shall include, but not be limited to, medical, dental, orthodontia, vision, chiropractic, mental health treatment, prescription medications, and other similar costs for care and treatment.

(3) Day care and special child rearing expenses, such as tuition and long-distance transportation costs to and from the parents for visitation purposes, are not included in the economic table. These expenses shall be shared by the parents in the same proportion as the basic child support obligation. If an obligor pays court or administratively ordered day care or special child rearing expenses that are not actually incurred, the obligee must reimburse the obligor for the overpayment if the overpayment amounts to at least ((twenty))20 percent of the obligor's annual day care or special child rearing expenses. The obligor may institute an action in the superior court or file an application for an adjudicative hearing with the department of social and health services for reimbursement of day care and special child rearing expense overpayments that amount to ((twenty))20 percent or more of the obligor's annual day care and special child rearing expenses. Any ordered overpayment reimbursement shall be applied first as an offset to child support arrearages of the obligor. If the obligor does not have child support arrearages, the reimbursement may be in the form of a direct reimbursement by the obligee or a credit against the obligor's future support payments. If the reimbursement is in the form of a credit against the obligor's future child support payments, the credit shall be spread equally over a ((twelve))12-month period. Absent agreement of the obligee, nothing in this section entitles an obligor to pay more than his or her proportionate share of day care or other special child rearing expenses in advance and then deduct the overpayment from future support transfer payments.

(4) Mandatory educational expenses and optional educational expenses are not included in the economic table. These expenses must be shared by the parents in the same proportion as the basic child support obligation. Mandatory educational expenses include, but are not limited to, tuition, books and materials, required electronic devices, and required school payments or fees. Optional educational expenses are expenses that a student incurs to fully participate in school activities including, but not limited to, sports fees, sports uniforms, band fees, band uniforms, yearbooks, driving classes, and other expenses for participation in school programs or activities.

(5) The court may exercise its discretion to determine the necessity for and the reasonableness of all amounts ordered in excess of the basic child support obligation.

Sec. 4. RCW 26.09.004 and 2009 c 502 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(3) "Military duties potentially impacting parenting functions" means those obligations imposed, voluntarily or involuntarily, on a parent serving in the armed forces that may interfere with that parent's abilities to perform his or her parenting functions under a temporary or permanent parenting plan. Military duties potentially impacting parenting functions include, but are not limited to:

(a) "Deployment," which means the temporary transfer of a service member serving in an active-duty status to another location in support of a military operation, to include any tour of duty classified by the member's branch of the armed forces as "remote" or "unaccompanied";

(b) "Activation" or "mobilization," which means the call-up of a national guard or reserve service member to extended active-duty status. For purposes of this definition, "mobilization" does not include national guard or reserve annual training, inactive duty days, or drill weekends; or

(c) "Temporary duty," which means the transfer of a service member from one military base or the service member's home to a different location, usually another base, for a limited period of time to accomplish training or to assist in the performance of a noncombat mission.

(((2)))(4) "Parenting functions" means those aspects of the parent-child relationship in which the parent makes decisions and performs functions necessary for the care and growth of the child. Parenting functions include:

(a) Maintaining a loving, stable, consistent, and nurturing relationship with the child;

(b) Attending to the daily needs of the child, such as feeding, clothing, physical care and grooming, supervision, health care, and day care, and engaging in other activities which are appropriate to the developmental level of the child and that are within the social and economic circumstances of the particular family;

(c) Attending to adequate education for the child, including remedial or other education essential to the best interests of the child;

(d) Assisting the child in developing and maintaining appropriate interpersonal relationships;

(e) Exercising appropriate judgment regarding the child's welfare, consistent with the child's developmental level and the family's social and economic circumstances; and

(f) Providing for the financial support of the child.

(((3)))(5) "Permanent parenting plan" means a plan for parenting the child, including allocation of parenting functions, which plan is incorporated in any final decree or decree of modification in an action for dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, declaration of invalidity, or legal separation.

(((4)))(6) "Temporary parenting plan" means a plan for parenting of the child pending final resolution of any action for dissolution of marriage or domestic partnership, declaration of invalidity, or legal separation which is incorporated in a temporary order.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 26.09 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Either the department, the person required to pay support, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support may make a request for abatement of child support based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support.

(2) When a child support order contains language providing for abatement based on incapacitation of the person required to pay child support, there is a rebuttable presumption that an incapacitated person is unable to pay the child support obligation. The presumption may be rebutted by evidence demonstrating that the person required to pay support has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while incapacitated. Unless the presumption is rebutted, the provisions of subsection (4) of this section apply.

(3)(a) If the child support order does not contain language providing for abatement based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support, the department, the person required to pay support, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support may commence an action in the appropriate forum to:

(i) Modify the support order to contain abatement language; and

(ii) Abate the person's child support obligation due to current incapacitation for a maximum of six months.

(b) In a proceeding brought under this subsection, there is a rebuttable presumption that an incapacitated person is unable to pay the child support obligation. The department, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support, may rebut the presumption by demonstrating that the person required to pay support has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while incapacitated.

(c) Unless the presumption is rebutted, the provisions of subsection (4) of this section apply.

(4) If the court or administrative forum determines that abatement of support is appropriate, the court or administrative forum must enter an order providing that:

(a) The child support obligation under the order in front of the court is abated to $50 per month, without regard to the number of children covered by that order, while the person required to pay support is undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(b) Abatement of the support obligation to $50 per month will remain in place until the earlier of: The last day of the month in which the person is discharged from court-ordered behavioral health treatment; or the last day of the six months after the effective date of the abatement order.

(c) After abatement of support is terminated, the support obligation of the person required to pay support under the order is automatically reinstated at 100 percent of the support amount provided in the underlying order.

(i) Upon a showing of good cause by a party that the circumstances of the case allow it, the court or administrative forum may add specific provisions to the order abating the child support obligation regarding when and how the abatement may terminate.

(ii) During the period of abatement, the department, the person required to pay support, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support may commence an action to modify the child support order under RCW 26.09.170 or 74.20A.059.

(5) If the incapacitated person's support obligation under the order has been abated and then reinstated under subsection (4) of this section:

(a) Either the department, the person required to pay support, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support may file an action to modify or adjust the order in the appropriate forum, if:

(i) The provisions of subsection (4)(c) of this section do not apply; and

(ii) The person required to pay support has completed court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(b) An action to modify or adjust the order based on the completion of court-ordered behavioral health treatment of the person required to pay support may be filed even if there is no other change of circumstances.

(6) The effective date of abatement of a child support obligation based on incapacitation to $50 per month per order is the date on which the person required to pay support is approved for abatement by the court or administrative forum.

(7) Abatement of a child support obligation based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support does not constitute modification or adjustment of the order.

(8) Abatement of a child support obligation based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support shall only be approved one time in a person's lifetime, regardless of whether the abatement lasted the full six months.

(9) A request for the abatement of child support owed under one child support order does not automatically qualify as a request for abatement of support owed under every order that may exist requiring that person to pay support. However, the request applies to any support order which is being enforced by the department at the time of the request.

(10) If there are multiple orders requiring the incapacitated person to pay child support, the issue of whether abatement of support due to incapacitation is appropriate must be considered for each order.

(a) The payee or person entitled to receive support under each support order is entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard regarding the potential abatement of support under that order.

(b) If the child or children covered by a support order are not residing with the payee under the order, any other person entitled to receive support for the child or children must be provided notice and an opportunity to be heard regarding the potential abatement of support under that order.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 26.09 RCW to read as follows:

(1) When a child support order contains language regarding abatement to $50 per month per order based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support, and the department is notified that the person is currently undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment, the department must:

(a) Review the support order for abatement once the department receives notice from the person required to pay support or someone acting on his or her behalf that the person may qualify for abatement of support;

(b) Review its records and other available information to determine if the person required to pay support has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while incapacitated; and

(c) Decide whether abatement of the person's support obligation is appropriate.

(2) If the department decides that abatement of the person's support obligation is appropriate, the department must notify the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support, that the person's support obligation has been abated and that the abatement will continue while the person is undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment for a maximum of six months. The notification must include the following information:

(a) That the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support may object to the abatement of support due to incapacitation;

(i) An objection must be received within 20 days of the notification of abatement;

(ii) Any objection will be forwarded to the office of administrative hearings for an adjudicative proceeding under chapter 34.05 RCW;

(iii) The department, the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support, all have the right to participate in the administrative hearing as parties; and

(iv) The burden of proof is on the party objecting to the abatement of support to show that the person required to pay support has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while incapacitated;

(b) The effective date of the abatement of support;

(c) The estimated date that the abatement will end;

(d) That the person required to pay support, the payee under the order, the person entitled to receive support, or the department may file an action to modify the underlying support order once the person required to pay support is no longer undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment, as provided under section 5(5) of this act; and

(e) That if the abated obligation was established by a court order, the department will file a copy of the notification in the court file.

(3) If the department decides that abatement of the person's support obligation is not appropriate, the department must notify the person required to pay support and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support, that the department does not believe that abatement of the support obligation should occur. The notification must include the following information:

(a) The reasons why the department decided that abatement of the support obligation is not appropriate;

(b) The person required to pay support and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support may object to the department's decision not to abate the support obligation;

(i) An objection must be received within 20 days of the notification of abatement;

(ii) Any objection will be forwarded to the office of administrative hearings for an adjudicative proceeding under chapter 34.05 RCW; and

(iii) The department, the incapacitated person, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support all have the right to participate in the administrative hearing as parties; and

(c) That, if the administrative law judge enters an order providing that abatement is appropriate, the department will take appropriate steps to document the abatement and will provide notification to the parties as required in subsection (2) of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7. A new section is added to chapter 26.09 RCW to read as follows:

When a court or administrative order does not contain language regarding abatement based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support and the department receives notice that the person is currently undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment, the department must refer the case to the appropriate forum for a determination of whether the order should be modified to:

(1) Contain abatement language as provided in section 5 of this act; and

(2) Abate the person's child support obligation due to current incapacitation in accordance with section 5 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8. A new section is added to chapter 26.09 RCW to read as follows:

(1) At any time during abatement based on incapacitation of the person required to pay support, the department, the payee under the order, or the person entitled to receive support may file a request to reverse or terminate the abatement of support by demonstrating that the incapacitated person has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(a) A request for reversal or termination of the abatement may be filed with the department or with the office of administrative hearings.

(b) The request must include documents or other evidence showing that the person has possession of, or access to, income or assets available to provide support while undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(c) If the request for a hearing does not include documents or evidence showing that the person has possession of, or access to, income or assets, the department may file a motion asking that the request for a hearing be dismissed before a hearing is scheduled or held.

(d) The party seeking to reverse or terminate the abatement may seek to vacate the dismissal order by filing a motion which includes the required proof.

(e) Depending on the type of evidence provided at the hearing, the administrative law judge may order that the abatement of the support obligation be:

(i) Reversed, meaning that the determination that support should be abated is vacated and all amounts owed under the support order are reinstated; or

(ii) Terminated, meaning that the abatement of support ends as of the date specified in the order.

(2) At any time during the period of abatement based on incapacitation, the person required to pay support may file a request to reverse or terminate the abatement of support.

(a) The request for reversal or termination of the abatement may be filed with the department or with the office of administrative hearings.

(b) The person required to pay support is not required to provide any documents or other evidence to support the request.

(3) Abatement of a support obligation does not constitute modification or adjustment of the order.

Sec. 9. RCW 26.09.170 and 2020 c 227 s 13 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in RCW 26.09.070(7), the provisions of any decree respecting maintenance or support may be modified: (a) Only as to installments accruing subsequent to the petition for modification or motion for adjustment except motions to compel court-ordered adjustments, which shall be effective as of the first date specified in the decree for implementing the adjustment; and, (b) except as otherwise provided in this section, only upon a showing of a substantial change of circumstances. The provisions as to property disposition may not be revoked or modified, unless the court finds the existence of conditions that justify the reopening of a judgment under the laws of this state.

(2) Unless otherwise agreed in writing or expressly provided in the decree the obligation to pay future maintenance is terminated upon the death of either party or the remarriage of the party receiving maintenance or registration of a new domestic partnership of the party receiving maintenance.

(3) Unless otherwise agreed in writing or expressly provided in the decree, provisions for the support of a child are terminated by emancipation of the child or by the death of the person required to pay support for the child.

(4) Unless expressly provided by an order of the superior court or a court of comparable jurisdiction, provisions for the support of a child are terminated upon the marriage or registration of a domestic partnership to each other of parties to a paternity or parentage order, or upon the remarriage or registration of a domestic partnership to each other of parties to a decree of dissolution. The remaining provisions of the order, including provisions establishing parentage, remain in effect.

(5)(a) A party to an order of child support may petition for a modification based upon a showing of substantially changed circumstances at any time.

(b) The voluntary unemployment or voluntary underemployment of the person required to pay support, by itself, is not a substantial change of circumstances.

(6) An order of child support may be modified at any time to add language regarding abatement to ((ten dollars))$10 per month per order due to the incarceration of the person required to pay support, as provided in RCW 26.09.320, or abatement to $50 per month per order due to incapacitation of the person required to pay support, as provided in section 5 of this act.

(a) The department of social and health services, the person entitled to receive support or the payee under the order, or the person required to pay support may petition for a prospective modification of a child support order if ((the)): (i) The person required to pay support is currently confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility, and the support order does not contain language regarding abatement due to incarceration; or (ii) the person required to pay support is currently undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment and the support order does not contain language regarding abatement due to incapacitation.

(b) The petition may only be filed if the person required to pay support is currently incarcerated or incapacitated.

(c) As part of the petition for modification, the petitioner may also request that the support obligation be abated to ((ten dollars))$10 per month per order due to incarceration, as provided in RCW 26.09.320, or abated to $50 per month per order due to incapacitation, as provided in section 5 of this act.

(7) An order of child support may be modified without showing a substantial change of circumstances if the requested modification is to ((modify)): (a) Modify an existing order when the person required to pay support has been released from incarceration, as provided in RCW 26.09.320(3)(d); or (b) modify an existing order when the person required to pay support has completed court-ordered behavioral health treatment, as provided in section 5(5) of this act.

(8) An order of child support may be modified one year or more after it has been entered without a showing of substantially changed circumstances:

(a) If the order in practice works a severe economic hardship on either party or the child;

(b) If a child is still in high school, upon a finding that there is a need to extend support beyond the eighteenth birthday to complete high school; or

(c) To add an automatic adjustment of support provision consistent with RCW 26.09.100.

(9)(a) If ((twenty-four))24 months have passed from the date of the entry of the order or the last adjustment or modification, whichever is later, the order may be adjusted without a showing of substantially changed circumstances based upon:

(i) Changes in the income of the person required to pay support, or of the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order; or

(ii) Changes in the economic table or standards in chapter 26.19 RCW.

(b) Either party may initiate the adjustment by filing a motion and child support worksheets.

(c) If the court adjusts or modifies a child support obligation pursuant to this subsection by more than ((thirty))30 percent and the change would cause significant hardship, the court may implement the change in two equal increments, one at the time of the entry of the order and the second six months from the entry of the order. Twenty-four months must pass following the second change before a motion for another adjustment under this subsection may be filed.

(10)(a) The department of social and health services may file an action to modify or adjust an order of child support if public assistance money is being paid to or for the benefit of the child and the department has determined that the child support order is at least ((fifteen))15 percent above or below the appropriate child support amount set forth in the standard calculation as defined in RCW 26.19.011.

(b) The department of social and health services may file an action to modify or adjust an order of child support in a nonassistance case if:

(i) The department has determined that the child support order is at least ((fifteen))15 percent above or below the appropriate child support amount set forth in the standard calculation as defined in RCW 26.19.011;

(ii) The department has determined the case meets the department's review criteria; and

(iii) A party to the order or another state or jurisdiction has requested a review.

(c) If incarceration of the person required to pay support is the basis for the difference between the existing child support order amount and the proposed amount of support determined as a result of a review, the department may file an action to modify or adjust an order of child support even if:

(i) There is no other change of circumstances; and

(ii) The change in support does not meet the ((fifteen))15 percent threshold.

(d) The determination of whether the child support order is at least ((fifteen))15 percent above or below the appropriate child support amount must be based on the current income of the parties.

(11) The department of social and health services may file an action to modify or adjust an order of child support under subsections (5) through (9) of this section if:

(a) Public assistance money is being paid to or for the benefit of the child;

(b) A party to the order in a nonassistance case has requested a review; or

(c) Another state or jurisdiction has requested a modification of the order.

(12) If testimony other than affidavit is required in any proceeding under this section, a court of this state shall permit a party or witness to be deposed or to testify under penalty of perjury by telephone, audiovisual means, or other electronic means, unless good cause is shown.

Sec. 10. RCW 26.23.050 and 2022 c 243 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) If the division of child support is providing support enforcement services under RCW 26.23.045, or if a party is applying for support enforcement services by signing the application form on the bottom of the support order, the superior court shall include in all court orders that establish or modify a support obligation:

(a) A provision that orders and directs the person required to pay support to make all support payments to the Washington state support registry;

(b) A statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the court order, unless:

(i) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding and that withholding should be delayed until a payment is past due; or

(ii) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(c) A statement that the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support might be required to submit an accounting of how the support, including any cash medical support, is being spent to benefit the child;

(d) A statement that a party to the support order who is required to provide health care coverage for the child or children covered by the order must notify the division of child support and the other party to the support order when the coverage terminates;

(e) A statement that any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320; ((and))

(f) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated as provided in RCW 26.09.320 if the person required to pay support is confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months, or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility; and

(g) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated as provided in section 5 of this act if the person required to pay support is undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

As used in this subsection and subsection (3) of this section, "good cause not to require immediate income withholding" means a written determination of why implementing immediate wage withholding would not be in the child's best interests and, in modification cases, proof of timely payment of previously ordered support.

(2) In all other cases not under subsection (1) of this section, the court may order the person required to pay support to make payments directly to the person entitled to receive the payments, to the Washington state support registry, or may order that payments be made in accordance with an alternate arrangement agreed upon by the parties.

(a) The superior court shall include in all orders under this subsection that establish or modify a support obligation:

(i) A statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the court order, unless:

(A) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding and that withholding should be delayed until a payment is past due; or

(B) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(ii) A statement that the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support may be required to submit an accounting of how the support is being spent to benefit the child;

(iii) A statement that any party to the order required to provide health care coverage for the child or children covered by the order must notify the division of child support and the other party to the order when the coverage terminates; and

(iv) A statement that a party to the order seeking to enforce the other party's obligation to provide health care coverage may:

(A) File a motion in the underlying superior court action; or

(B) If there is not already an underlying superior court action, initiate an action in the superior court.

As used in this subsection, "good cause not to require immediate income withholding" is any reason that the court finds appropriate.

(b) The superior court may order immediate or delayed income withholding as follows:

(i) Immediate income withholding may be ordered if the person required to pay support has earnings. If immediate income withholding is ordered under this subsection, all support payments shall be paid to the Washington state support registry. The superior court shall issue a mandatory wage assignment order as set forth in chapter 26.18 RCW when the support order is signed by the court. The payee under the order or the person entitled to receive the transfer payment is responsible for serving the employer with the order and for its enforcement as set forth in chapter 26.18 RCW.

(ii) If immediate income withholding is not ordered, the court shall require that income withholding be delayed until a payment is past due. The support order shall contain a statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support, after a payment is past due.

(c) If a mandatory income withholding order under chapter 26.18 RCW is issued under this subsection and the division of child support provides support enforcement services under RCW 26.23.045, the existing wage withholding assignment is prospectively superseded upon the division of child support's subsequent service of an income withholding order.

(3) The office of administrative hearings and the department of social and health services shall require that all support obligations established as administrative orders include a provision which orders and directs that the person required to pay support shall make all support payments to the Washington state support registry. All administrative orders shall also state that any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320. All administrative orders shall also state that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the order, unless:

(a) One of the parties demonstrates, and the presiding officer finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding; or

(b) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the presiding officer that provides for an alternate agreement.

(4) If the support order does not include the provision ordering and directing that all payments be made to the Washington state support registry and a statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits if a support payment is past due or at any time after the entry of the order, or that licensing privileges of the person required to pay support may not be renewed, or may be suspended, the division of child support may serve a notice on the person stating such requirements and authorizations. Service may be by personal service or any form of mail requiring a return receipt.

(5) Every support order shall state:

(a) The address where the support payment is to be sent;

(b) That withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of a support order, unless:

(i) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding; or

(ii) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(c) The income of the parties, if known, or that their income is unknown and the income upon which the support award is based;

(d) The support award as a sum certain amount;

(e) The specific day or date on which the support payment is due;

(f) The names and ages of the dependent children;

(g) A provision requiring both the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, to keep the Washington state support registry informed of whether he or she has access to health care coverage at reasonable cost and, if so, the health care coverage information;

(h) That either or both the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, shall be obligated to provide medical support for a child or children covered by the order through health care coverage if:

(i) The person obligated to provide medical support provides accessible coverage for the child or children through private or public health care coverage; or

(ii) Coverage that can be extended to cover the child or children is or becomes available to the person obligated to provide medical support through employment or is union-related; or

(iii) In the absence of such coverage, through an additional sum certain amount, as that obligated person's monthly payment toward the premium as provided under RCW 26.09.105;

(i) That a person obligated to provide medical support who is providing health care coverage must notify both the division of child support and the other party to the order when coverage terminates;

(j) That if proof of health care coverage or proof that the coverage is unavailable is not provided within ((twenty))20 days, the person seeking enforcement or the department may seek direct enforcement of the coverage through the employer or union of the person required to provide medical support without further notice to the person as provided under chapter 26.18 RCW;

(k) The reasons for not ordering health care coverage if the order fails to require such coverage;

(l) That any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320;

(m) That each party to the support order must:

(i) Promptly file with the court and update as necessary the confidential information form required by subsection (7) of this section; and

(ii) Provide the state case registry and update as necessary the information required by subsection (7) of this section; and

(n) That parties to administrative support orders shall provide to the state case registry and update as necessary their residential addresses and the address of the employer of the person required to pay support. The division of child support may adopt rules that govern the collection of parties' current residence and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, the names of the children, social security numbers of the children, dates of birth of the children, driver's license numbers, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the parties' employers to enforce an administrative support order. The division of child support shall not release this information if the division of child support determines that there is reason to believe that release of the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the party or to the child, or a restraining order or protective order is in effect to protect one party from the other party.

(6) After the person required to pay support has been ordered or notified to make payments to the Washington state support registry under this section, that person shall be fully responsible for making all payments to the Washington state support registry and shall be subject to payroll deduction or other income-withholding action. The person required to pay support shall not be entitled to credit against a support obligation for any payments made to a person or agency other than to the Washington state support registry except as provided under RCW 74.20.101. A civil action may be brought by the person required to pay support to recover payments made to persons or agencies who have received and retained support moneys paid contrary to the provisions of this section.

(7) All petitioners and parties to all court actions under chapters 26.09, 26.12, 26.18, 26.21A, 26.23, 26.26A, 26.26B, and 26.27 RCW and minor guardianships under chapter 11.130 RCW shall complete to the best of their knowledge a verified and signed confidential information form or equivalent that provides the parties' current residence and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the parties' employers, to ensure that the parties' information is added to the judicial information system's person database. The clerk of the court shall not accept petitions, except in parentage actions initiated by the state, orders of child support, decrees of dissolution, or parentage orders for filing in such actions unless accompanied by the confidential information form or equivalent, or unless the confidential information form or equivalent is already on file with the court clerk. In lieu of or in addition to requiring the parties to complete a separate confidential information form, the clerk may collect the information in electronic form. The clerk of the court shall transmit the confidential information form or its data to the division of child support with a copy of the order of child support or parentage order, and may provide copies of the confidential information form or its data and any related findings, decrees, parenting plans, orders, or other documents to the state administrative agency that administers Title IV-A, IV-D, IV-E, or XIX of the federal social security act. In state initiated parentage actions, the parties adjudicated the parents of the child or children shall complete the confidential information form or equivalent or the state's attorney of record may complete that form to the best of the attorney's knowledge.

(8) The department has rule-making authority to enact rules consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 652(f) and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 666(a)(19) as amended by section 7307 of the deficit reduction act of 2005. Additionally, the department has rule-making authority to implement regulations required under 45 C.F.R. Parts 302, 303, 304, 305, and 308.

Sec. 11. RCW 74.20A.055 and 2020 c 227 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The secretary may, if there is no order that establishes a person's support obligation or specifically relieves the person required to pay support of a support obligation or pursuant to an establishment of parentage under chapter 26.26A or 26.26B RCW, serve on the person or persons required to pay support and the person entitled to receive support a notice and finding of financial responsibility requiring those persons to appear and show cause in an adjudicative proceeding why the finding of responsibility and/or the amount thereof is incorrect, should not be finally ordered, but should be rescinded or modified. This notice and finding shall relate to the support debt accrued and/or accruing under this chapter and/or RCW 26.16.205, including periodic payments to be made in the future. The hearing shall be held pursuant to this section, chapter 34.05 RCW, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the rules of the department. A person who has physical custody of a child has the same rights under this section as a parent with whom the child resides.

(2) The notice and finding of financial responsibility shall be served in the same manner prescribed for the service of a summons in a civil action or may be served on the person required to pay support by certified mail, return receipt requested. The receipt shall be prima facie evidence of service. The notice shall be served upon the person required to pay support within ((sixty))60 days from the date the state assumes responsibility for the support of the dependent child or children on whose behalf support is sought. If the notice is not served within ((sixty))60 days from such date, the department shall lose the right to reimbursement of payments made after the ((sixty))60-day period and before the date of notification: PROVIDED, That if the department exercises reasonable efforts to locate the person required to pay support and is unable to do so the entire ((sixty))60-day period is tolled until such time as the person can be located. The notice may be served upon the person entitled to receive support who is the nonassistance applicant or public assistance recipient by first-class mail to the last known address. If the person entitled to receive support is not the nonassistance applicant or public assistance recipient, service shall be in the same manner as for the person required to pay support.

(3) The notice and finding of financial responsibility shall set forth the amount the department has determined the person required to pay support owes, the support debt accrued and/or accruing, and periodic payments to be made in the future. The notice and finding shall also include:

(a) A statement of the name of the person entitled to receive support and the name of the child or children for whom support is sought;

(b) A statement of the amount of periodic future support payments as to which financial responsibility is alleged;

(c) A statement that the person required to pay support or the person entitled to receive support may object to all or any part of the notice and finding, and file an application for an adjudicative proceeding to show cause why the terms set forth in the notice should not be ordered;

(d) A statement that, if neither the person required to pay support nor the person entitled to receive support files in a timely fashion an application for an adjudicative proceeding, the support debt and payments stated in the notice and finding, including periodic support payments in the future, shall be assessed and determined and ordered by the department and that this debt and amounts due under the notice shall be subject to collection action;

(e) A statement that the property of the person required to pay support, without further advance notice or hearing, will be subject to lien and foreclosure, distraint, seizure and sale, order to withhold and deliver, notice of payroll deduction or other collection action to satisfy the debt and enforce the support obligation established under the notice;

(f) A statement that the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, are responsible for either:

(i) Providing health care coverage for the child if accessible coverage that can cover the child:

(A) Is available through health insurance or public health care coverage; or

(B) Is or becomes available to the obligated person through that person's employment or union; or

(ii) Paying a monthly payment toward the premium if no such coverage is available, as provided under RCW 26.09.105; ((and))

(g) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated to ten dollars per month per order as provided in RCW 26.09.320 if the person required to pay support is confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months, or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility; and

(h) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated to $50 per month per order as provided in section 5 of this act if the person required to pay support is undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(4) A person required to pay support or a person entitled to receive support who objects to the notice and finding of financial responsibility may file an application for an adjudicative proceeding within ((twenty))20 days of the date of service of the notice or thereafter as provided under this subsection.

(a) If the person required to pay support or the person entitled to receive support files the application within ((twenty))20 days, the office of administrative hearings shall schedule an adjudicative proceeding to hear the party's or parties' objection and determine the support obligation for the entire period covered by the notice and finding of financial responsibility. The filing of the application stays collection action pending the entry of a final administrative order;

(b) If both the person required to pay support and the person entitled to receive support fail to file an application within ((twenty))20 days, the notice and finding shall become a final administrative order. The amounts for current and future support and the support debt stated in the notice are final and subject to collection, except as provided under (c) and (d) of this subsection;

(c) If the person required to pay support or the person entitled to receive support files the application more than ((twenty))20 days after, but within one year of the date of service, the office of administrative hearings shall schedule an adjudicative proceeding to hear the party's or parties' objection and determine the support obligation for the entire period covered by the notice and finding of financial responsibility. The filing of the application does not stay further collection action, pending the entry of a final administrative order, and does not affect any prior collection action;

(d) If the person required to pay support or the person entitled to receive support files the application more than one year after the date of service, the office of administrative hearings shall schedule an adjudicative proceeding at which the party who requested the late hearing must show good cause for failure to file a timely application. The filing of the application does not stay future collection action and does not affect prior collection action:

(i) If the presiding officer finds that good cause exists, the presiding officer shall proceed to hear the party's objection to the notice and determine the support obligation;

(ii) If the presiding officer finds that good cause does not exist, the presiding officer shall treat the application as a petition for prospective modification of the amount for current and future support established under the notice and finding. In the modification proceeding, the presiding officer shall set current and future support under chapter 26.19 RCW. The petitioning party need show neither good cause nor a substantial change of circumstances to justify modification of current and future support;

(e) If the support obligation was based upon imputed median net income, the grant standard, or the family need standard, the division of child support may file an application for adjudicative proceeding more than ((twenty))20 days after the date of service of the notice. The office of administrative hearings shall schedule an adjudicative proceeding and provide notice of the hearing to the person required to pay support and the person entitled to receive support. The presiding officer shall determine the support obligation for the entire period covered by the notice, based upon credible evidence presented by the division of child support, the person required to pay support, or the person entitled to receive support, or may determine that the support obligation set forth in the notice is correct. The division of child support demonstrates good cause by showing that the support obligation was based upon imputed median net income, the grant standard, or the family need standard. The filing of the application by the division of child support does not stay further collection action, pending the entry of a final administrative order, and does not affect any prior collection action;

(f) The department shall retain and/or shall not refund support money collected more than ((twenty))20 days after the date of service of the notice. Money withheld as the result of collection action shall be delivered to the department. The department shall distribute such money, as provided in published rules.

(5) If an application for an adjudicative proceeding is filed, the presiding or reviewing officer shall determine the past liability and responsibility, if any, of the person required to pay support and shall also determine the amount of periodic payments to be made in the future, which amount is not limited by the amount of any public assistance payment made to or for the benefit of the child. If deviating from the child support schedule in making these determinations, the presiding or reviewing officer shall apply the standards contained in the child support schedule and enter written findings of fact supporting the deviation.

(6) If either the person required to pay support or the person entitled to receive support fails to attend or participate in the hearing or other stage of an adjudicative proceeding, upon a showing of valid service, the presiding officer shall enter an order of default against each party who did not appear and may enter an administrative order declaring the support debt and payment provisions stated in the notice and finding of financial responsibility to be assessed and determined and subject to collection action. The parties who appear may enter an agreed settlement or consent order, which may be different than the terms of the department's notice. Any party who appears may choose to proceed to the hearing, after the conclusion of which the presiding officer or reviewing officer may enter an order that is different than the terms stated in the notice, if the obligation is supported by credible evidence presented by any party at the hearing.

(7) The final administrative order establishing liability and/or future periodic support payments shall be superseded upon entry of a superior court order for support to the extent the superior court order is inconsistent with the administrative order.

(8) Debts determined pursuant to this section, accrued and not paid, are subject to collection action under this chapter without further necessity of action by a presiding or reviewing officer.

(9) The department has rule-making authority to enact rules consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 652(f) and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 666(a)(19) as amended by section 7307 of the deficit reduction act of 2005. Additionally, the department has rule-making authority to implement regulations required under 45 C.F.R. Parts 302, 303, 304, 305, and 308.

Sec. 12. RCW 74.20A.056 and 2020 c 227 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) If an acknowledged parent has signed an acknowledgment of parentage that has been filed with the state registrar of vital statistics:

(i) The division of child support may serve a notice and finding of financial responsibility under RCW 74.20A.055 based on the acknowledgment. The division of child support shall attach a copy of the acknowledgment or certification of the birth record information advising of the existence of a filed acknowledgment of parentage to the notice;

(ii) The notice shall include a statement that the acknowledged parent or any other signatory may commence a proceeding in court to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial of parentage under RCW 26.26A.235 and 26.26A.240;

(iii) A statement that the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, are responsible for providing health care coverage for the child if accessible coverage that can be extended to cover the child is or becomes available to the obligated person through employment or is union-related as provided under RCW 26.09.105;

(iv) The party commencing the action to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial must serve notice on the division of child support and the office of the prosecuting attorney in the county in which the proceeding is commenced. Commencement of a proceeding to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial stays the establishment of the notice and finding of financial responsibility, if the notice has not yet become a final order; ((and))

(v) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated to ((ten dollars))$10 per month per order as provided in RCW 26.09.320 if the person required to pay support is confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months, or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility; and

(vi) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated to $50 per month per order as provided in section 5 of this act if the person required to pay support is undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(b) If neither party to the notice files an application for an adjudicative proceeding or the signatories to the acknowledgment or denial do not commence a proceeding to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment of parentage, the amount of support stated in the notice and finding of financial responsibility becomes final, subject only to a subsequent determination under RCW 26.26A.400 through 26.26A.515 that the parent-child relationship does not exist. The division of child support does not refund nor return any amounts collected under a notice that becomes final under this section or RCW 74.20A.055, even if a court later determines that the acknowledgment is void.

(c) An acknowledged parent or other party to the notice who objects to the amount of support requested in the notice may file an application for an adjudicative proceeding up to ((twenty))20 days after the date the notice was served. An application for an adjudicative proceeding may be filed within one year of service of the notice and finding of parental responsibility without the necessity for a showing of good cause or upon a showing of good cause thereafter. An adjudicative proceeding under this section shall be pursuant to RCW 74.20A.055. The only issues shall be the amount of the accrued debt and the amount of the current and future support obligation.

(i) If the application for an adjudicative proceeding is filed within ((twenty))20 days of service of the notice, collection action shall be stayed pending a final decision by the department.

(ii) If the application for an adjudicative proceeding is not filed within ((twenty))20 days of the service of the notice, any amounts collected under the notice shall be neither refunded nor returned if the person required to pay support under the notice is later found not to be required to pay support.

(d) If neither the acknowledged parent nor the person entitled to receive support requests an adjudicative proceeding, or if no timely action is brought to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial after service of the notice, the notice of financial responsibility becomes final for all intents and purposes and may be overturned only by a subsequent superior court order entered under RCW 26.26A.400 through 26.26A.515.

(2) Acknowledgments of parentage are subject to requirements of chapters 26.26A, 26.26B, and 70.58A RCW.

(3) The department and the department of health may adopt rules to implement the requirements under this section.

(4) The department has rule-making authority to enact rules consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 652(f) and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 666(a)(19) as amended by section 7307 of the deficit reduction act of 2005. Additionally, the department has rule-making authority to implement regulations required under 45 C.F.R. Parts 302, 303, 304, 305, and 308.

Sec. 13. RCW 74.20A.059 and 2020 c 227 s 12 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department, the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support, or the person required to pay support may petition for a prospective modification of a final administrative order if:

(a) The administrative order has not been superseded by a superior court order; and

(b) There has been a substantial change of circumstances, except as provided under RCW 74.20A.055(4)(d) or subsection (2) of this section.

(2) The department, the person entitled to receive support, the payee under the order, or ((the)): (a) The person required to pay support may petition for a prospective modification of a final administrative order if the person required to pay support is currently confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility, and the support order does not contain language regarding abatement due to incarceration; or (b) the person required to pay support is currently undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment and the support order does not contain language regarding abatement due to incapacitation.

(((a)))(i) The petition may be filed at any time after the administrative support order became a final order, as long as the person required to pay support is currently incarcerated or undergoing court-ordered behavioral health treatment.

(((b)))(ii) As part of the petition for modification, the petitioner may also request that the support obligation be abated to ((ten dollars))$10 per month per order due to incarceration, as provided in RCW 26.09.320, or abated to $50 per month per order due to incapacitation, as provided in section 5 of this act.

(3) An order of child support may be modified at any time without a showing of substantially changed circumstances if incarceration of the person required to pay support is the basis for the inconsistency between the existing child support order amount and the amount of support determined as a result of a review.

(4) An order of child support may be modified one year or more after it has been entered without showing a substantial change of circumstances:

(a) If the order in practice works a severe economic hardship on either party or the child; or

(b) If a child is a full-time student and reasonably expected to complete secondary school or the equivalent level of vocational or technical training before the child becomes ((nineteen))19 years of age upon a finding that there is a need to extend support beyond the eighteenth birthday.

(5) An order may be modified without showing a substantial change of circumstances if the requested modification is to:

(a) Require medical support under RCW 26.09.105 for a child covered by the order;

(b) Modify an existing order for health care coverage; or

(c) Modify an existing order when the person required to pay support has been released from incarceration, as provided in RCW 26.09.320(3)(d), or when the person has completed court-ordered behavioral health treatment, as provided in section 5(5) of this act.

(6) Support orders may be adjusted once every ((twenty-four))24 months based upon changes in the income of the parties to the order without a showing of substantially changed circumstances. This provision does not mean that the income of a person entitled to receive support who is not a parent of the child or children covered by the order must be disclosed or be included in the calculations under chapter 26.19 RCW when determining the support obligation.

(7)(a) All administrative orders entered on, before, or after September 1, 1991, may be modified based upon changes in the child support schedule established in chapter 26.19 RCW without a substantial change of circumstances. The petition may be filed based on changes in the child support schedule after ((twelve))12 months has expired from the entry of the administrative order or the most recent modification order setting child support, whichever is later. However, if a party is granted relief under this provision, ((twenty-four))24 months must pass before another petition for modification may be filed pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.

(b) If, pursuant to subsection (6) of this section or (a) of this subsection, the order modifies a child support obligation by more than ((thirty))30 percent and the change would cause significant hardship, the change may be implemented in two equal increments, one at the time of the entry of the order and the second six months from the entry of the order. Twenty-four months must pass following the second change before a petition for modification under subsection (6) of this section may be filed.

(8) An increase in the wage or salary of the person entitled to receive the support transfer payments is not a substantial change in circumstances for purposes of modification under subsection (1)(b) of this section. The voluntary unemployment or voluntary underemployment of the person required to pay support, by itself, is not a substantial change of circumstances. The income of the person entitled to receive support is only disclosed or considered if that person is a parent of the child or children covered by the order.

(9) The department shall file the petition and a supporting affidavit with the office of administrative hearings when the department petitions for modification.

(10) The person required to pay support or the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support shall follow the procedures in this chapter for filing an application for an adjudicative proceeding to petition for modification.

(11) Upon the filing of a proper petition or application, the office of administrative hearings shall issue an order directing each party to appear and show cause why the order should not be modified.

(12) If the presiding or reviewing officer finds a modification is appropriate, the officer shall modify the order and set current and future support under chapter 26.19 RCW.

(2) This section expires August 1, 2025.

Sec. 15. RCW 26.19.020 and 2018 c 150 s 301 are each amended to read as follows: