Sec. 2.
As used in this act:
(a) "Active duty" means that term as defined in section 101 of the servicemembers civil relief act, 50 USC 511, except that "active duty" includes full-time national guard duty.
(b) "Agency" means a legally authorized public or private organization, or governmental unit or official, whether of this state or of another state or country, concerned in the welfare of minor children, including a licensed child placement agency.
(c) "Attorney" means, if appointed to represent a child under this act, an attorney serving as the child's legal advocate in a traditional attorney-client relationship with the child, as governed by the Michigan rules of professional conduct. An attorney defined under this subdivision owes the same duties of undivided loyalty, confidentiality, and zealous representation of the child's expressed wishes as the attorney would to an adult client.
(d) "Child" means minor child and children. Subject to section 5b of the support and parenting time enforcement act, 1982 PA 295, MCL 552.605b, for purposes of providing support, child includes a child and children who have reached 18 years of age.
(e) "Deployment" means the movement or mobilization of a servicemember to a location for a period of longer than 60 days and not longer than 540 days under temporary or permanent official orders as follows:
(i) That are designated as unaccompanied.
(ii) For which dependent travel is not authorized.
(iii) That otherwise do not permit the movement of family members to that location.
(iv) The servicemember is restricted from travel.
(f) "Grandparent" means a natural or adoptive parent of a child's natural or adoptive parent.
(g) "Guardian ad litem" means an individual whom the court appoints to assist the court in determining the child's best interests. A guardian ad litem does not need to be an attorney.
(h) "Lawyer-guardian ad litem" means an attorney appointed under section 4. A lawyer-guardian ad litem represents the child, and has the powers and duties, as set forth in section 4.
(i) "Parent" means the natural or adoptive parent of a child.
(j) "State disbursement unit" or "SDU" means the entity established in section 6 of the office of child support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400.236.
(k) "Third person" means an individual other than a parent.
History: 1970, Act 91, Eff. Apr. 1, 1971 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 245, Imd. Eff. Oct. 10, 1990 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 482, Eff. Mar. 1, 1999 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 156, Imd. Eff. Nov. 3, 1999 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 9, Imd. Eff. Feb. 14, 2002 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 542, Imd. Eff. Jan. 3, 2005 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 327, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2005 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 51, Eff. Sept. 7, 2015