§ 19-11-73.Construction of article
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 2. Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act · Last amended 1958 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-73
Plain-English Summary
This section belongs to Article 2, Georgia’s version of the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (URESA). Under § 19-11-40.1, no new petition may be filed and no new proceeding may begin under Article 2 on or after January 1, 1998; the article applies only to proceedings pending before that date. Interstate support cases begun since then fall under Article 3, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which starts at § 19-11-100.
The Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act was a model law. Many states adopted it so that a person owed support in one state could reach a payer in another through matching procedures. That system only works if courts in each state read the act the same way. This section says so directly: the article shall be interpreted and construed to carry out its general purpose of making uniform the law of the states that enact it.
In practice, a uniformity clause invites a Georgia judge to give weight to how courts in other URESA states have read the same words. It doesn’t override the text, but it guides the judge when the text is unclear.
The section pairs with § 19-11-41, which states the article’s purposes: to improve and extend the enforcement of duties of support by reciprocal legislation and to make the law on the subject uniform. Article 3 has its own uniformity clause in § 19-11-190, which says consideration must be given to promoting uniformity among the states that enact that act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Georgia’s URESA tell courts to keep the law uniform?
Because the act only works if states read it the same way. This section requires the article to be interpreted and construed to make uniform the law of the states that enact it. Section 19-11-41 adds that the article aims to improve and extend the enforcement of support duties through reciprocal legislation.
Can a Georgia court look at other states’ decisions on URESA?
The section’s purpose points that way. It tells Georgia courts to read the article so as to make uniform the law of the states that enact it, which naturally draws attention to how those states read the same provisions. The section doesn’t make other states’ decisions binding.
What is the purpose of Georgia’s URESA?
Section 19-11-41 states it: to improve and extend, by reciprocal legislation, the enforcement of duties of support, and to make the law on that subject uniform. This section then tells courts to interpret the article to serve that general purpose of uniformity.
Does the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act have a similar rule?
Yes. Section 19-11-190 says that in applying and construing Article 3, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law on its subject among the states that enact it. Article 3 governs interstate support cases begun on or after January 1, 1998.
Is URESA still used in Georgia?
Only for old cases. Under § 19-11-40.1, no new petition may be filed and no proceeding may begin under Article 2 on or after January 1, 1998. The article applies only to proceedings pending before that date. Article 3 governs everything since.
Amendment History
Laws 1958, p. 34, § 31.