Activism Opportunity: Joint Custody Resolution Now Being Considered by U.S. Senate
February 3rd, 2008 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & FamiliesBackground: I'm a strong believer in Shared Parenting (aka Joint Custody)--the legal presumption that upon divorce or separation, as long as both parents are fit, they will equally share custody of their children. Research shows that this is best for kids, in large part because it protects their relationships with both parents.
I discussed the arguments in favor of Shared Parenting and addressed the National Organization for Women's arguments against it in my co-authored column HB 5267 Will Help Michigan’s Children of Divorce (Lansing State Journal, 5/28/06). To learn more about Shared Parenting, click here.
A note from David L. Levy, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Rights Council:
A joint custody resolution is now being considered by the U.S. Senate -- S. Con. Res. 59, introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI). It was introduced in the House last Fall -- H. Con. Res. 241, by Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI). The resolutions express the sense of Congress that the states pass more joint custody laws.
WE MUST NOW WORK TO GET THESE RESOLUTIONS PASSED.
You can view the Resolutions on the Library of Congress "Thomas" website. Please write to your House Member something like this in your own words:
Dear Congressmember --- (for House member)
Please co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 241, a resolution that asks the states to pass more joint custody laws. Children do better in school, experience less poverty and less involvement in crime and drugs, when they have two parents in their lives, even in divorce or never-married situations. Joint custody (shared parenting) for fit parents would help assure that more moms and dads, as well as grandparents, are more involved in children's lives. Please let me know if you can co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 241.
Sign your name
then Print your name,
Address, phone number, email address.
AND
Dear Senator -- (for each of your two Senators)
Please co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 59, a resolution that asks the states to pass more joint custody laws. I want to point out that children do better in school, and are less involved in drugs and crime, when they have two parents in their lives, even if divorced or never-married. Joint custody (shared parenting) for fit parents would help assure that more mothers and fathers are active in their children's lives, and also assure more contact with their grandparents. Please let me know if you can co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 59.
Sign your name
then Print your name,
Address, phone number, email address.
Tips:
1. Find out how to contact your Congressmembers at the Children's Rights Council's (CRC) website, www.CRCkids.org. Under "Government," look up House and Senate. Phone, e-mail or fax to Congress (snail mail takes forever after 9/11). Fax is best, but not all Congressmembers list their fax numbers. Obtain fax number by phoning your Congressmember at 202/225-3121 during normal business hours. Ask for the name of the staff member working for the Congressmember who would handle the joint custody resolution and write to his/her attention. FOLLOW UP EVERY 10 DAYS TO TWO WEEKS; ONE PHONE CALL, FAX OR E-MAIL WILL NOT DO IT. Always be polite; remember, you are asking your Congressmember to lay down the one thousand other things on his/her plate and to focus on the joint custody resolution. Keep CRC informed of results, at info@crckids.org
Note: These resolutions do not "require" the states to pass stronger joint custody laws; there are merely "requests." But requests in other areas over the years have produced positive results in the states. So please do not underestimate the power of a resolution. Joint custody is now a presumption or preference in 37 states and Washington, D.C. But it is applied unevenly in many of those states, let alone the 13 states that have no preference or presumption. Shared parenting has grown enormously over the past 20 years, but much more remains to be done. Thank you, on behalf of children and families everywhere.
David L. Levy, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer
The Children's Rights Council
8181 Professional Place, Suite 240
Landover, MD 20785
1-800-787-KIDS
dlevy@crckids.org
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February 3rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
80 Posts to bash a husband basher, but not one on this incredible opportunity?
Come on guys and gals! Bury your representative and congressperson with correspondence showing you care about this issue!
I cannot possibly encourage you strongly enough! GO GO GO GO!
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I and hopefully members of my family will be writing soon.
Mike
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I’m sure the super bowl is more important, that or American Idol reruns.
It’s bull anyway.
I’ll write the letters, but how can you expect the states to be enthusiastic about reform when the feds are paying them to kidnap children for the collection of “matching federal dollars” for child support awards.
Cut off the federal dollars and the “best interests of children” will become priority #99 somewhere behind preservation of habitat for the California kangaroo mouse.
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I can certainly appreciate the intent.
How sad that a history of abused judicial legislature has led to
such a premise demanding action from actual elected law makers.
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Ok, we have Feinstein, Boxer, and Campbell:
Here is one:
Dear Dianne Feinstein,
Please co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 59, a resolution that asks the states to pass more joint custody laws. I want to point out that children do better in school, and are less involved in drugs and crime, when they have two parents in their lives, even if divorced or never-married. Joint custody (shared parenting) for fit parents would help assure that more mothers and fathers are active in their children's lives, and also assure more contact with their grandparents. Please let me know if you can co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 59.
This is an incredible opportunity for families around the nation! It means so MUCH to children to have their father active and interested in their lives. It means so much to fathers to be actively involved in their children’s lives. While the statistics clearly show the beneficial effect on children, I can personally relate the beneficial effect my children have on me. They provide me with limitless motivation to do the right thing in life, work, home and government.
Stephen M Weiss
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Wow, this is fantastic news. In addition to writing our Congress critters, it would be good to write a few journalists about this.
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
These are available at thomas.loc.gov.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.con.res.00241:
"Whereas parents with joint custody pay 50 percent more in child support than parents with visitation only or no contact with the child: "
- that sounds kinda scary. Do they mean that they are ore likely to pay?
It's expressed much better in the Senate bill.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.CON.RES.59:
"Whereas data from the Census Bureau shows a correlation between joint custody and shared parenting and a higher rate of payment of child support;"
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
To the extent that anyone here learns of any Senator or House Rep who is in any way attempting to block, impede, or dilute this bill, please mention it on this blog so that those who are interested or otherwise able can bring appropriate voter pressure upon anyone who is trying to deny kids their fathers, or to shovel more cash to family court lawyers.
It is my view that any member of congress who takes the wrong side of this should experience a career termination similar to that which Chuck Percy experienced after his misguided position-taking on AWACS some years back.
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I wrote all 3, posted to my blog, and to Reddit.com, and to MIXX.com
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I don't completely understand the following statement made by Levy
"Shared parenting has grown enormously over the past 20 years."
That doesn't prove more total kids have access to their fathers.
February 4th, 2008 at 5:22 am
yep it only takes a bunch of guys to make a good film/doco say 2-3 hours to show what's really going on, do you guys think Gandhi, Mandella or Dr Martain Luther King had millions of $$$ behind them, no just the right team one film on mens rights that really hits the spot would be all it takes, also it my be free on the web
it is somthing I have thinking about for 15 years.
I think my film idea is to good not to happen.I would really like to know what others think...
February 4th, 2008 at 6:57 am
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February 4th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
This is a very important endeavor, and we should all pitch in to help out.
Sadly, this issue has become so politicized by various women's groups who pretend to espouse gender equality but really are only interested in advancing causes of certain women's groups. They routinely oppose efforts that uniquely affect men, as this one does, if they perceive some advantage to women by opposing it, and worse, to win what they are after, they will demonize men in the process. What that says to the sons of these women is that their gender is inherently flawed and that they, by extension, are inherently flawed.
We really need to get behind this issue.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I just took the 5 minutes to write the house and senate to show my interest in having them back this proposal!!
February 5th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Somewhere in this the state child hostage judicial mafia is going to realize that they will get shortchanged if this moves forward and they will try and short circuit this. BUT! I hope that thought does not deter any one of us from writing to our legislature. Because the racketeers at the state level can only do so much until they are exposed for what they are and if we keep pushing away like Gandhi they will keep running out of cards and will be exposed for the criminals they are.
February 5th, 2008 at 10:37 am
hello, One matters of divorce is a state matter and the federal government is not in charge of this. this is a matter that each case should be decided on a case by case , not say that every case their needs to be joint custody. If both parents could get along they would still be married! or together. It will clog up our courts with the things they can not or will not resolve on their own by mandating joint custody. Even when it is ordered with joint custody, does not mean it will happen.
I am a parent with SOLE custody. Having sole custody does not mean their father gets out of child support. Child support and visitation are two different issues, although the amount of visitation does effect the amount of support. My children are doing well, both are honors students even the one that is disabled.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
A strong rebuttable presumption for shared parenting can be required for Title IV-D matching funds on child support.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:07 am
Yes Angel, by your logic, custody should be decided on a case by case basis, by the father.
You say "what, that is arbitrary and unfair!". Yes, so do fathers say the injustice levied against fathers and children today is unfair.
I don't know your case, but judging by your illogic, your children would do much better with their father and I cannot trust your claim that they are doing well. I have heard similar claims from my ex, but I have a box full of the reality as provided by government records.
By the way, yes the fathers on this site are fully aware that while the father is kept from teaching responsibility to the children by the unfair custody decisions, the mother is completely free to blow all the child support at the casinos. The mother of my first two children has done this.
Testimony such as your really tests my determination to push for a system that is fair to both sexes. It so seems that you deserve backlash and to have your children stripped from you and given to the father to make up for the years of suffering he has endured, and having you payback all of the ill gotten child support you have received and most likely squandered. I say most likely because that is what the research shows: that mothers just blow the money, having no appreciation for the work it takes to earn it.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Ya know, I have to recant my last post. I wrote it late at night and was pretty tired. Angel's subsequent post on a different thread makes me call into question my entire understanding of the meaning of Angel's post of 10:37am.
Angel posted in favor of joint custody as the presumption, and my wife points out that Angel may be a guy, which changes the meaning of the last paragraph. ie, if Angel is a guy with SOLE custody who has to pay child support to the mom who does not care for the children, and Angel is in favor of AB571, basically the rebuttable presumption, that really throws my previous post in the trash can!