Chief Justice Robert A. Mulligan’s Announcement Regarding the Issuance of the Trial
Court Child Support Guidelines

 

          I am pleased to announce the promulgation of the Trial Court Child Support Guidelines which are effective February 15, 2006. The guidelines were last issued in February 2002.

 

           On January 23, 2006, I announced my intention to conduct a comprehensive review of the Guidelines including an examination of the assumptions, information and methodology which provide the basis for the current Guidelines. For that reason, I have decided to make only one amendment to the Guidelines, that is, to delete the exception that the Child Support Guidelines do not apply to an agreement between the parties regarding child support.

 

           In order to conduct a comprehensive review, I will convene shortly a Task Force comprised of parties interested in participating in this important project. The Task Force will be led by a judge of the Probate and Family Court and a member of the bar. The other stakeholders in this effort have not yet been identified. I envision that the review will be an open process and that it will be completed within twelve to eighteen months.

 

           I will provide further information about this initiative in the near future.

 

 

Trial Court Child Support Guidelines