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Legal Statutes: Maine

UPDATED November 28, 2012

Maine Statutes


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Chapter 51. General Provisions

back to top§ 1501. Definitions

As used in this Part, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.

1. Allocated parental rights and responsibilities. “Allocated parental rights and responsibilities” means that responsibilities for the various aspects of a child's welfare are divided between the parents, with the parent allocated a particular responsibility having the right to control that aspect of the child's welfare. Responsibilities may be divided exclusively or proportionately. Aspects of a child's welfare for which responsibility may be divided include primary physical residence, parent-child contact, support, education, medical and dental care, religious upbringing, travel boundaries and expenses and any other aspect of parental rights and responsibilities. A parent allocated responsibility for a certain aspect of a child's welfare may be required to inform the other parent of major changes in that aspect.

2. Child support. “Child support” means money paid directly to a parent, to another person or agency awarded parental rights and responsibilities with respect to a child or to the department on behalf of a child receiving public assistance and medical or dental insurance coverage provided on behalf of a child pursuant to court order.

3. Domestic abuse. “Domestic abuse” means abuse as defined in section 4002.

4. Repealed. Laws 2009, c. 290, § 1.

4-A. Medical support. “Medical support” means an amount ordered to be paid toward the cost of health insurance provided by a public entity or by another parent through employment or otherwise or for other medical costs not covered by insurance.

4-B. Private health insurance. “Private health insurance” means fee-for-service, health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization and other types of coverage available to either parent under which medical services could be provided to a child. “Private health insurance” does not include insurance that provides coverage only for accidental injury, specified disease, hospital indemnity, Medicare supplement, disability income, long-term care or other limited benefit health insurance policies and contracts.

4-C. Reasonable cost. “Reasonable cost” means the cost of private health insurance to the parent responsible for providing medical support that does not exceed amounts adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services in a rule implementing a cost-reasonableness standard. “Cost of private health insurance” means the cost of adding the child to existing coverage or the difference between self-only and family coverage, unless that cost is determined to be unjust by a court or the Department of Health and Human Services.

5. Shared parental rights and responsibilities. “Shared parental rights and responsibilities” means that most or all aspects of a child's welfare remain the joint responsibility and right of both parents, so that both parents retain equal parental rights and responsibilities, and both parents confer and make joint decisions regarding the child's welfare. Matters pertaining to the child's welfare include, but are not limited to, education, religious upbringing, medical, dental and mental health care, travel arrangements, child care arrangements and residence. Parents who share parental rights and responsibilities shall keep one another informed of any major changes affecting the child's welfare and shall consult in advance to the extent practicable on decisions related to the child's welfare.

6. Sole parental rights and responsibilities. “Sole parental rights and responsibilities” means that one parent is granted exclusive parental rights and responsibilities with respect to all aspects of a child's welfare, with the possible exception of the right and responsibility for support.
1995, c. 694, § B-2, eff. Oct. 1, 1997; 1997, c. 187, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1997; 2009, c. 290, §§ 1 to 4.