[Notices]

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4191]

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.

This notice amends and supplements Department of State public

notice 3802, 66 FR 58544 (November 21, 2001).

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

the standards set forth in the statute. The statutory standards are:

Establishment of child support orders, including the establishment of

paternity if necessary to establish the order; enforcement of child

support orders, including collection and distribution of payments under

such orders; cost-free services (including administrative and legal

services, as well as paternity testing; and the designation of an

agency as Central Authority to facilitate enforcement.

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 declaration 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 (or Canadian provinces)have

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been designated foreign reciprocating countries:

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Country Effective date

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Australia............................. May 21, 2001.

Canadian Provinces:

Alberta............................. Sept. 4, 2002.

British Columbia.................... Dec. 15, 1999.

Manitoba............................ July 11, 2000.

Newfoundland/Labrador............... August 7, 2002.

Nova Scotia......................... Dec. 18, 1998.

Ontario............................. August 7, 2002.

Czech Republic........................ May 3, 2000.

Ireland............................... Sept. 10, 1997.

Netherlands........................... May 1, 2002.

Norway................................ June 10, 2002.

Poland................................ June 14, 1999.

Portugal.............................. Mar. 17, 2001.

Slovak Republic....................... Feb. 1, 1998.

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Information

Each of these countries (or Canadian provinces) has designated a

Central Authority to facilitate enforcement and ensure compliance with

the standards of the statute. Information relating to the designated

Central Authorities, and the procedures for processing requests may be

obtained by contacting the United States Central Authority for

International Child Support, Department of Health and Human Services,

Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), 370 L'Enfant Promenade,

SW., 4-East, Washington, DC 20447; phone 202.401.5566, fax

202.401.5539, e-mail ocseinternational@acf.hhs.gov.

Questions regarding this notice, the status of negotiations,

declarations and agreements may be obtained by contacting Mary Helen

Carlson at the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Private

International Law, Suite 203 South Building, 2430 E Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20037-2851; phone 202.776.8420, fax 202.776.8482, E-mail

carlsonmh@ms.state.gov.

The law also permits individual states of the United States to

establish or continue existing reciprocating 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. 02-30453 Filed 11-29-02; 8:45 am]

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