HF 1056

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to children; allowing consideration of a 
  1.3             mother's lost wages as reasonable expenses of 
  1.4             pregnancy and confinement; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             1998, section 257.66, subdivision 3. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 257.66, 
  1.8   subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 3.  [JUDGMENT; ORDER.] The judgment or order shall 
  1.10  contain provisions concerning the duty of support, the custody 
  1.11  of the child, the name of the child, the social security number 
  1.12  of the mother, father, and child, if known at the time of 
  1.13  adjudication, visitation privileges with the child, the 
  1.14  furnishing of bond or other security for the payment of the 
  1.15  judgment, or any other matter in the best interest of the 
  1.16  child.  Custody and visitation and all subsequent motions 
  1.17  related to them shall proceed and be determined under section 
  1.18  257.541.  The remaining matters and all subsequent motions 
  1.19  related to them shall proceed and be determined in accordance 
  1.20  with chapter 518.  The judgment or order may direct the 
  1.21  appropriate party to pay all or a proportion of the reasonable 
  1.22  expenses of the mother's pregnancy and confinement, after 
  1.23  consideration of the relevant facts, including the relative 
  1.24  financial means of the parents; the earning ability of each 
  1.25  parent; and any health insurance policies held by either parent, 
  2.1   or by a spouse or parent of the parent, which would provide 
  2.2   benefits for the expenses incurred by the mother during her 
  2.3   pregnancy and confinement.  The court may consider the mother's 
  2.4   lost wages as part of the reasonable expenses of the mother's 
  2.5   pregnancy and confinement subject to allocation between the 
  2.6   parents.  Pregnancy and confinement expenses and genetic testing 
  2.7   costs, submitted by the public authority, are admissible as 
  2.8   evidence without third-party foundation testimony and constitute 
  2.9   prima facie evidence of the amounts incurred for those services 
  2.10  or for the genetic testing.  Remedies available for the 
  2.11  collection and enforcement of child support apply to confinement 
  2.12  costs and are considered additional child support.