§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]