§ 19-11-44.Declaration of reciprocating status of Canadian province or territory by Attorney General
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 1975 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-44
Plain-English Summary
The Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act depended on other jurisdictions having matching laws. This section gave Georgia a way to extend that reciprocity to Canada. Where the Attorney General is satisfied that a province or territory of Canada will make reciprocal provisions, the Attorney General may declare it a reciprocating state for purposes of this article. The decision is discretionary: the section says “may.”
A declaration can be undone. The Attorney General may revoke an order declaring a province or territory a reciprocating state, and it then stops being one for this article. The revocation has a limit, though. It shall not affect any actions that have been adjudicated in the responding state or that this state has received as the responding state. Cases already decided, or already in Georgia’s hands, carry on.
The section works hand in hand with § 19-11-42, whose definition of “state” includes any Canadian province or territory declared a reciprocating state under this section. Like the rest of Article 2, it now matters only for proceedings pending before January 1, 1998; § 19-11-40.1 bars new URESA petitions and proceedings on or after that date. International support cases filed since then fall under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which begins at § 19-11-100 and has its own definition of “foreign country” in § 19-11-101. The section was enacted in 1975.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could Georgia enforce child support against someone in Canada under URESA?
Yes, if the Attorney General had declared the province or territory a reciprocating state. This section allows the Attorney General, when satisfied that reciprocal provisions will be made, to make that declaration for purposes of this article. Section 19-11-42 then counts the province or territory as a “state” under URESA.
Who decides whether a Canadian province is a reciprocating state?
Georgia’s Attorney General. The Attorney General may declare a province or territory of Canada a reciprocating state for purposes of this article when satisfied that it will make reciprocal provisions. The decision is discretionary, and the Attorney General may also revoke the declaration, subject to the protection for cases already adjudicated or received.
What happens to pending cases if the Attorney General revokes a province’s reciprocating status?
Once revoked, the province or territory ceases to be a reciprocating state for purposes of this article. But the revocation shall not affect any actions that have been adjudicated in the responding state or that this state has received as the responding state. Those cases continue.
Which law applies to a new child support case involving Canada?
Not URESA. Under § 19-11-40.1, no new petition or proceeding may be started under this article on or after January 1, 1998. New cases fall under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, beginning at § 19-11-100, whose definition of “foreign country” in § 19-11-101 covers, among others, countries with reciprocal arrangements or substantially similar laws.
Is a Canadian province automatically treated as a state under URESA?
No. Under § 19-11-42, a Canadian province or territory counts as a “state” for this article only if the Attorney General declared it a reciprocating state under this section. Without that declaration, it doesn’t qualify through this route. And if a declaration is later revoked, the province or territory ceases to be a reciprocating state for this article.
Amendment History
Laws 1975, p. 818, § 2.