§ 9-14-206 - Office of Child Support Enforcement -- Establishment -- Plan -- Program -- Child support officers. - Arkansas Statutes

9-14-206. Office of Child Support Enforcement -- Establishment -- Plan -- Program -- Child support officers.

(a) There is established an organizational unit to be called the Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance and Administration that shall administer the state plan for child support enforcement required under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

(b) The office is designated as the single public entity for the administration of income withholding of support payments in accordance with federal law.

(c) (1) The office is hereby designated as a law enforcement agency and may employ a child support officer in counties where the court grants at least two thousand five hundred (2,500) divorces each year to assist in the service of civil and criminal process and to enforce child support orders in this state.

(2) The officers shall be duly certified law enforcement officers pursuant to 12-9-101 et seq. and shall have the same power to execute, serve, and return all lawful warrants including warrants of arrest issued by the State of Arkansas or any political subdivision thereof.

(d) (1) (A) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, in all counties in cases in which the sheriff has returned the service papers "non est", the office may employ a child support officer or contract with a process server to assist in the service of civil and criminal process and to enforce child support orders in this state.

(B) A child support officer so employed shall be a duly certified law enforcement officer pursuant to 12-9-101 et seq.

(2) Process servers contracting with the office or its agent shall be appointed by the circuit court pursuant to Rule 4 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure or Rule 6.3 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure.

(3) A child support officer or process server shall have authority to execute, serve, and return all lawful warrants of arrest issued by the State of Arkansas or any political subdivision thereof.

(4) In any county wherein the sheriff chooses to transfer the responsibility of service of process in Title IV-D child support cases to the office, the office or its agent may employ a child support officer or contract with a process server as set forth in this subsection.