42 U.S.C. § 667 : US Code - Section 667: State guidelines for child support awards

Search 42 U.S.C. § 667 : US Code - Section 667: State guidelines for child support awards

(a) Establishment of guidelines; method
Each State, as a condition for having its State plan approved
under this part, must establish guidelines for child support award
amounts within the State. The guidelines may be established by law
or by judicial or administrative action, and shall be reviewed at
least once every 4 years to ensure that their application results
in the determination of appropriate child support award amounts.
(b) Availability of guidelines; rebuttable presumption
(1) The guidelines established pursuant to subsection (a) of this
section shall be made available to all judges and other officials
who have the power to determine child support awards within such
State.
(2) There shall be a rebuttable presumption, in any judicial or
administrative proceeding for the award of child support, that the
amount of the award which would result from the application of such
guidelines is the correct amount of child support to be awarded. A
written finding or specific finding on the record that the
application of the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate in a
particular case, as determined under criteria established by the
State, shall be sufficient to rebut the presumption in that case.
(c) Technical assistance to States; State to furnish Secretary with
copies
The Secretary shall furnish technical assistance to the States
for establishing the guidelines, and each State shall furnish the
Secretary with copies of its guidelines.