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(a) The Division of Paternity and Child Support, as the support enforcement agency, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this subchapter.
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(b) The Division of Paternity and Child Support when providing services to the petitioner shall:
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(1) take all steps necessary to enable an appropriate tribunal of the Virgin Islands, another state, or a foreign country to obtain jurisdiction over the respondent;
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(2) request an appropriate tribunal to set a date, time, and place for a hearing;
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(3) make a reasonable effort to obtain all relevant information, including information as to income and property of the parties;
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(4) within five days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of notice in a record from an initiating, responding, or registering tribunal, send a copy of the notice to the petitioner;
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(5) within five days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after receipt of communication in a record from the respondent or the respondent’s attorney, send a copy of the communication to the petitioner; and
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(6) notify the petitioner if jurisdiction over the respondent cannot be obtained.
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(c) A support enforcement agency of the Virgin Islands that requests registration of a child-support order in the Virgin Islands for enforcement or for modification shall make reasonable efforts:
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(1) to ensure that the order to be registered is the controlling order; or
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(2) if two or more child-support orders exist and the identity of the controlling order has not been determined, to ensure that a request for such a determination is made in a tribunal having jurisdiction to do so.
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(d) The Division of Paternity and Child Support when requesting registration and enforcement of a support order, arrears, or judgment stated in a foreign currency shall convert the amounts stated in the foreign currency into the equivalent amounts in dollars under the applicable official or market exchange rate as publicly reported.
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(e) The Division of Paternity and Child Support shall issue or request a tribunal of the Virgin Islands to issue a child-support order and an income-withholding order that redirect payment of current support, arrears, and interest if requested to do so by a support enforcement agency of another state pursuant to section 419.
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(f) This subchapter does not create or negate a relationship of attorney and client or other fiduciary relationship between a support enforcement agency or the attorney for the agency and the individual being assisted by the agency.