454.020. Definitions.
Definitions.
454.020. In sections 454.010 to 454.360 unless the contextotherwise requires:
(1) "Certification" shall be in accordance with the laws ofthe certifying state.
(2) "Court" means the circuit court of this state and, whenthe context requires, means the court of any other state asdefined in a substantially similar reciprocal law.
(3) "Duty of support" includes any duty of support imposedor imposable by law, or by any court order, decree or judgment,whether interlocutory or final, whether incidental to aproceeding for divorce, legal separation, separate maintenance orotherwise, and includes the duty to pay arrearages of supportpayments which are past due and unpaid.
(4) "Governor" includes any person performing the functionsof governor or the executive authority of any territory coveredby the provisions of sections 454.010 to 454.360.
(5) "Initiating court" means the court in which a proceedingis commenced.
(6) "Initiating state" means any state in which a proceedingpursuant to this or a substantially similar reciprocal law iscommenced.
(7) "Law" includes both common and statute law.
(8) "Obligee" means any person to whom a duty of support isowed and a state or political subdivision thereof.
(9) "Obligor" means any person owing a duty of support.
(10) "Register" means to file in the Registry of ForeignSupport Orders as required by the court.
(11) "Registering court" means any court of this state inwhich the support order of the rendering state is registered.
(12) "Rendering state" means any state in which a supportorder is originally entered.
(13) "Responding court" means the court in which theresponsive proceeding is commenced.
(14) "Responding state" means any state in which anyproceeding pursuant to the proceeding in the initiating state isor may be commenced.
(15) "State" includes any state, territory, or possession ofthe United States, the District of Columbia, and any foreignjurisdiction in which this or a substantially similar reciprocallaw has been enacted.
(16) "Support order" means any judgment, decree or order ofsupport, whether temporary or final, whether subject tomodification, revocation or remission, regardless of the kind ofaction in which it is entered.
(L. 1959 S.B. 118, A.L. 1982 S.B. 468)