Impact on Tennessee Residents-Uniform Child Custudy Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction And Enforcement Act ("UCCJEA") is a Uniform Act drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 1997. The UCCJEA has since been adopted by 46 U.S. States, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As of June 20, 2007 the only states that have not adopted the UCCJEA are: Missouri, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Puerto Rico has also not adopted the Act.
The UCCJEA vests exclusive and continuing jurisdiction over child custody in the courts of the child's home state, which is defined as the state where the child has lived with a parent for six consecutive months prior to the commencement of the proceeding (or since birth, for children younger than six months). If the child has not lived in any state for at least six months, then a court that has "significant connections" with the child may assume child-custody jurisdiction. If more than one state has "significant connections" with the child, the courts of those states must communicate and determine which state has the most significant connections to the child.
The UCCJEA replaced the previous Uniform Act the "Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act", primarily because the old act was inconsistent with the federal Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act when determining proper jurisdiction for initial custody determinations. The UCCJEA corrects these problems. The UCCJEA also added a uniform procedure to register and enforce child-custody orders across state lines.
Please contact an experienced Tennessee attorney If you have any questions regarding the UCCJEA.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Child_Custody_Jurisdiction_and_Enforcement_Act
