Rule Guideline 1 Title, Authority, and Purpose

(a) Title. These Guidelines shall be known as the Northern Mariana Islands Child Support Guidelines.

(b) Authority. These Guidelines are promulgated pursuant to the Supreme Court’s inherent and supervisory powers under Article IV of the NMI Constitution.

(c) Purpose. The primary purposes of the Guidelines are:

(1) To obtain uniformity in child support awards;

(2) To ensure that children from single-parent homes have the same or similar financial security they would have if they lived in a two-parent home;

(3) To reduce litigation and costs in child support disputes;

(4) To encourage equitable settlement between parents;

(5) To comply with federal law (42 U.S.C. §§ 651 et seq.); and

(6) To comply with local law (1 CMC § 3206).