§576E-2  Attorney general; powers.  Notwithstanding
any other law to the contrary, the attorney general, through the agency and the
office, shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the court in all proceedings in
which a support obligation is established, modified, or enforced, including but
not limited to proceedings under chapters 571, 580, 584, and 576B.  The
attorney general, through the agency and the office, may establish, modify,
suspend, terminate, and enforce child support obligations and collect or
enforce spousal support using the administrative process provided in this
chapter on all cases for which the department has a responsibility under Title
IV-D of the Social Security Act, including but not limited to welfare and
nonwelfare cases in which the responsible parent is subject to the department's
jurisdiction, regardless of the residence of the children for whom support is
sought.  These powers shall include but not be limited to the power to:



(1)  Conduct investigations into the ability of parties
to pay support and into nonpayment of support;



(2)  Administer oaths, issue subpoenas, and require
production of books, accounts, documents, and evidence;



(3)  Establish, modify, suspend, terminate, or enforce
a child support order and to collect or enforce a spousal support order in
conjunction with a child support order;



(4)  Determine that a party has not complied with a
court or administrative order of support and make recommendations to the court
or other agency with respect to contempt or other appropriate proceedings;



(5)  Establish arrearage;



(6)  Establish an order for child support for periods
which public assistance was provided to the child or children by the department
of human services;



(7)  Order and enforce assignment of future income
under section 576E-16, chapter 571, and section 576D-14;



(8)  Exercise the powers and authority described in
this section, notwithstanding the existence of a prior court or administrative
order of support issued by another state or foreign jurisdiction, except as
modified or limited by this chapter;



(9)  Determine that an obligor owes past-due support
with respect to a child receiving assistance under a state program funded under
Title IV-A of the Social Security Act, including Aid to Families with Dependent
Children and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and petition the court to
issue an order that requires the obligor to pay such support in accordance with
a plan approved by the court or, if the obligor is subject to such a plan and
is not incapacitated, participate in work activities, as defined in 42 U.S.C.
§607(d), as the court deems appropriate;



(10)  Order genetic testing pursuant to chapter 584 for
the purpose of establishing paternity, with payment of costs to be made by the
agency, subject to recoupment by the State from the father or the mother, if
appropriate, if paternity is established, and to also order additional testing
in any case if an original test result is contested, upon request and advance
payment by the contestant;



(11)  Exercise the powers and authority described in
this section, notwithstanding the existence of a prior court or administrative
order of support issued by another state or foreign jurisdiction, except as
modified or limited by this chapter and chapter 576B; and



(12)  Delegate the powers and authority described in
this section to hearings officers and employees of the agency. [L 1988, c 154,
pt of §2; am L 1989, c 61, §2; am L 1990, c 176, §9; am L 1993, c 251, §3; am L
1994, c 105, §3; am L 1997, c 293, §33 and c 295, §4; am L 1998, c 11, §29 and
c 83, §8; am L 2002, c 72, §9]