[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 98 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 31953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12661]



[[Page 31953]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice No. 3315]


Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Private International 
Law; Notice of Declaration of Foreign Countries as Reciprocating 
Countries for the Enforcement of Family Support (Maintenance) 
Obligations

AGENCY: Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State.

    Section 459A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 659A) authorizes 
the Secretary of State with the concurrence of the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to declare foreign countries or their political 
subdivisions to be reciprocating countries for the purpose of the 
enforcement of family support obligations if the country has 
established or has undertaken to establish procedures for the 
establishment and enforcement of duties of support for residents of the 
United States. These procedures must be in substantial conformity with 
mandatory elements set out in the statute: procedures for the 
establishment of paternity and support orders for children and 
custodial parents; a system for the enforcement of orders, including 
procedures for the collection and distribution of payments under such 
orders; providing administrative and legal services without cost to the 
U.S. applicant; and the designation of an agency to serve as a central 
authority.
    Once such a declaration is made, support agencies in jurisdictions 
of the United States participating in the program established by Title 
IV-D of the Social Security Act (the IV-D program) must provide 
enforcement services under that program to such reciprocating countries 
as if the request for service came from a U.S. state.
    The declarations authorized by the statute may be made ``in the 
form of an international agreement, in connection with an international 
agreement or corresponding foreign declaration, or on a unilateral 
basis.'' The Secretary of State has authorized either the Legal Adviser 
or the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs to make such a 
declaration after consultation with the other.
    As of this date, the following countries have been designated 
foreign reciprocating countries by such a declaration and a 
corresponding declaration from the foreign country.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Country                          Effective date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ireland...................................  September 10, 1997.
Slovak Republic...........................  February 1, 1998.
The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia......  May 14, 1999.
Poland....................................  June 14, 1999.
British Columbia..........................  April 21, 2000.
Manitoba..................................  April 21, 2000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information

    Each of these countries has designated a Central Authority to 
facilitate enforcement and ensure compliance with the standards of the 
statute. Information relating to these agreements, the designated 
Central Authorities, and the procedures for processing requests may be 
obtained from the United States Central Authority in the Department of 
Health and Human Services by contacting Stephen Grant, International 
Child Support Officer, Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), 370 
L'Enfant Promenade SW, 4 Aerospace Building, Washington, DC 20447, 
phone (202) 260-5943, fax (202) 401-5539, email 
``[email protected]''.
    Questions regarding this notice, the status of negotiations and 
agreements may be obtained by contacting the office of the Assistant 
Legal Adviser for Private International Law, South Building, Suite 203, 
2430 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037-2800; phone (202) 776-8420, fax 
(202) 776-8482, ``email [email protected]'' or (415) 703-5890, fax (415) 
703-1234.
    The statute also permits individual states to establish or continue 
existing reciprocal arrangements with foreign countries when there has 
been no federal declaration. Many states have such arrangements with 
additional countries not yet the subject of a federal declaration. 
Information as to these arrangements may be obtained from the 
individual state IV-D Agency.

Jeffrey D. Kovar,
Assistant Legal Adviser for Private International Law, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 00-12661 Filed 5-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-08-P