THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY WILLIAMS, FONTANA, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES, BOSCOLA AND WASHINGTON, APRIL 16, 2012

REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, APRIL 16, 2012  

AN ACT

Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in support matters generally, further

providing for information to consumer reporting agency, for

general administration of support matters; and for expedited

procedure.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 4303 of Title 23 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 4303.  Information to consumer reporting agency.

(a)  Overdue support.--Information regarding the name and the

amount of arrearages owed by an obligor shall be provided

periodically to consumer reporting agencies whenever the obligor

owes overdue support, subject to the following:

(1)  The information shall be available only after the

obligor owing the arrearages has been notified of the

proposed action and given a period not to exceed 20 days to

contest the accuracy of the information. The notice shall be

as provided by local rule of the court of common pleas.

(2)  Such information shall not be made available to:

(i)  a consumer reporting agency which the department

determines not to have sufficient capability to

systematically and timely make accurate use of such

information; or

(ii)  an entity which has not furnished evidence

satisfactory to the department that the entity is a

consumer reporting agency.

(b)  Petition to provide record of payments.--An obligor who

is subject to a support order under this part may petition the

court as part of the court's support order to direct the

domestic relations section to provide periodic information to a

consumer reporting agency that includes the record of payment of

support to the domestic relations section as provided in section

4325 (relating to payment of order of support).

Section 2.  Section 4305(a) of Title 23 is amended by adding

a paragraph to read:

§ 4305.  General administration of support matters.

(a)  Powers and duties.--Subject to any inconsistent general

rules and to the supervision and direction of the court, the

domestic relations section shall have the power and duty to:

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(12)  Subject to approval of the court upon petition of

an obligor, provide monthly reporting to a credit reporting

agency concerning the timely payments of support as provided

in section 4303 (relating to information to consumer

reporting agency).

* * *

Section 3.  Section 4342(g) of Title 23 is amended to read:

§ 4342.  Expedited procedure.

* * *

(g)  Payment record.--A copy of the record of support

payments prepared by the domestic relations section and 

certified as a true copy of the original by the custodian of the

record is evidence of facts asserted in it and is admissible to

show whether payments were made in any civil proceeding,

including, but not limited to, any action under Title 13

(relating to commercial code) and for purposes of any consumer

credit reporting.

* * *

Section 4.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.