1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to paternity; increasing the liability period 
  1.3             for past support of the child; amending Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes 2000, section 257.66, subdivision 4. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 257.66, 
  1.7   subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subd. 4.  [STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.] Support judgments or 
  1.9   orders ordinarily shall be for periodic payments which may vary 
  1.10  in amount. In the best interest of the child, a lump sum payment 
  1.11  may be ordered in lieu of periodic payments of support.  The 
  1.12  court shall limit the parent's liability for past support of the 
  1.13  child to the proportion of the expenses that the court deems 
  1.14  just, which were incurred in the two six years immediately 
  1.15  preceding the commencement of the action.  In determining the 
  1.16  amount of the parent's liability for past support, the court may 
  1.17  deviate downward from the guidelines if:  
  1.18     (1) the child for whom child support is sought is more than 
  1.19  five years old and the obligor discovered or was informed of the 
  1.20  existence of the parent and child relationship within one year 
  1.21  of commencement of the action seeking child support; 
  1.22     (2) the obligor is a custodian for or pays support for 
  1.23  other children; and 
  1.24     (3) the obligor's family income is less than 175 percent of 
  1.25  the federal poverty level.