Georgia § 19-6-53 - Duties; powers; authorization to retain professional services.

§ 19-6-53. Duties; powers; authorization to retain professional services.

The commission shall have the following duties: To study and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of Georgia's child support guidelines; To evaluate and consider the experiences and results in other states which utilize child support guidelines; To create and recommend to the General Assembly a child support obligation table consistent with Code Section 19-6-15; To determine periodically, and at least every four years, if the child support obligation table results in appropriate presumptive awards; To identify and recommend whether and when the child support obligation table or child support guidelines should be modified; To develop, publish in print or electronically, and update the child support obligation table and worksheets and schedules associated with the use of such table; To develop or cause to be developed software and a calculator associated with the use of the child support obligation table and child support guidelines and adjust the formula for the calculations of self-employed persons' income pursuant to applicable federal law, if the commission determines that the calculation affects persons paying or receiving child support in this state; To develop training manuals and information to educate judges, attorneys, and litigants on the use of the child support obligation table and child support guidelines; To collaborate with the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education, the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and other agencies for the purpose of training persons who will be utilizing the child support obligation table and child support guidelines; To make recommendations for proposed legislation; To study the appellate courts' acceptance of discretionary appeals in domestic relations cases and the formulation of case law in the area of domestic relations; To study alternative programs, such as mediation, collaborative practice, and pro se assistance programs, in order to reduce litigation in child support and child custody cases; and To study the impact of having parenting time serve as a deviation to the presumptive amount of child support and make recommendations concerning the utilization of the parenting time adjustment. The commission shall have the following powers: To evaluate the child support guidelines in Georgia and any other program or matter relative to child support in Georgia; To request and receive data from and review the records of appropriate agencies to the greatest extent allowed by state and federal law; To accept public or private grants, devises, and bequests; To enter into all contracts or agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties; To establish rules and procedures for conducting the business of the commission; and To conduct studies, hold public meetings, collect data, or take any other action the commission deems necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. The commission shall be authorized to retain the services of auditors, attorneys, financial consultants, child care experts, economists, and other individuals or firms as determined appropriate by the commission. (Code 1981, § 19-6-53 , enacted by Ga. L. 2005, p. 224, § 11/HB 221; Ga. L. 2006, p. 583, § 6/SB 382; Ga. L. 2010, p. 838, § 10/SB 388; Ga. L. 2014, p. 457, § 9/SB 282.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 2006, p. 583, § 10(b)/SB 382, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "Sections 1 through 7 of this Act shall become effective on January 1, 2007, and shall apply to all pending civil actions on or after January 1, 2007." Law reviews. - For article on 2006 amendment of this Code section, see 23 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 103 (2006).