The definitions below come from the OCSS Glossary of Common Child Support Terms:
Initiating Agency
A state or tribal IV-D program or an agency in a country in which an individual has applied for or is receiving services. (This is the state, agency or country that sends out the referral to the other state).
Responding Jurisdiction
The court or administrative agency that responds to a request by another jurisdiction. The responding jurisdiction has authority over a noncustodial parent or child support order. (This is the state, agency or country that receives the referral from the other state).
The following federal guidance is an excerpt from the AT-20-14:
Question 73: Can a responding state close the interstate case under 45 CFR 303.11(b)(17), for failure of the initiating state to take an action essential for the next step, if the initiating state is unable to provide an employer or a residential address for the noncustodial parent?
Answer 73: No. The inability of the initiating state to provide a current employer or residential address for the noncustodial parent does not constitute a failure to take an action essential for the next step in providing services. The responding state cannot close its case for this reason. The responding state, typically the state in which the noncustodial parent lives, has access to more locate resources within its state, such as records from courts, the driver’s license bureau, and unemployment office, and is, therefore, in the best position to search for the noncustodial parent.