Earlier this year, Ohio updated its child support laws for the first time since 1992. The new law went into effect on March 28, 2019 with the passage of House Bill 366. Among other changes, the bill changed the way child support is calculated and adjusted the minimum amount a parent must pay. Some highlights are:
- Child support calculations are now based on both gross income and imputed income. Imputed income is the value of services or benefits provided by employers to employees.
- A new “self-help reserve” allows some people whose income is below 116% of the federal poverty line to pay less child support.
- The default minimum monthly payment has been increased from $50 to $80 per month.
- The court reduces the annual maintenance obligation by 10% if the person sentenced to maintenance has the child for more than 90 nights (approx. every other weekend and one night per week). The 10% discount can be waived if the parent is not caring for the child for at least 90 nights.
- Orders for multiple children are no longer styled so that the first support order is automatically higher than subsequent orders.
- Child support policies are reviewed at least every four years for necessary changes, but may be reviewed more frequently.
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO WAIT TO REQUEST A DELETION AFTER THE FEE HAS BEEN REJECTED?
You can request that the case be dropped immediately after it is dropped.
The court will determine whether your need to clear the case outweighs disclosure of the file to the public. When a charge affects your ability to find work and there are no other mitigating circumstances, the courts typically order the charges to be dropped.
Establishment of Federal Jurisdiction
Child pornography is illegal under state and federal law. It is very easy for a federal prosecutor to gain jurisdiction over a child pornography case. A federal court has jurisdiction if the alleged crime involved interstate travel or foreign trade. Using the US Postal Service or other carriers to transport child pornography across state lines or international borders would make the indictment a federal proceeding. When using the internet for distribution, federal jurisdiction almost always applies. Federal prosecution may also be brought by a federal prosecutor if the child pornographic material never crossed state or international borders, provided the device later used for child pornography purposes has previously crossed a border.
Federal law has a very broad definition of child pornography. The legal definition considers child pornography to be any visual depiction of a person under the age of 18 that involves sexually explicit conduct. Sexually explicit does not necessarily mean sexual activity. Images can also be considered child pornography if they are sexually suggestive. Images may include undeveloped photographs, video, film or videotape, electronically stored data, and computer-generated images that are indistinguishable from an actual child.