Yesterday’s kerfuffle in the Children and Family Affairs Committee got me to thinking… Why would Johnny Shaw, one of the nicest guys in the House, so blatantly question the motivation of fellow Democrat G.A. Hardaway on his bill HB 0005?
So, I did a basic search for Child Support bills and found that Hardaway has filed 10 of the 39 bills before the House dealing with that issue. Stacey Campfield comes in second with 6.
In Hardaway’s defense, these bills constitute less than 10% of all the bills he’s filed for this legislative session, but clearly this is an issue that he feels strongly about. So, I decided to dig a little deeper. What do these bills do?
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HB0002 would have created the presumption that equally shared custody is in the best interest of the child. The bill failed in sub-committee.
HB0005 is the bill in question from yesterday. There’s still some confusion over what it actually does and what the bill language is after amendment.
HB0020 would have created a pilot program for the “Office of Noncustodial Parent Advocacy”. This bill is scheduled for subcommittee on 3/9/10.
HB0300 requires genetic testing to establish paternity, even in cases where paternity is not contested before the issuance of a Child Support order. This bill is on hold awaiting amendment since 2/11/09.
HB1131 would change existing law that allows for expedited hearings on visitation non-compliance from 2 per six months to 2 per three months. Scheduled for Sub-Committee on 3/9/10.
HB1132 allows parents who pay for supervised visits to choose who will supervise the visit. Last action on this bill was 2/18/09
HB1133 prohibits changing of custodial arrangements due to an order of protection against the custodial parent unless the child is the victim of child abuse or the effects of domestic violence. Last action on this bill was 2/18/09
HB2442 enacts the “Equal and Fair Parenting Act” to create a rebuttable presumption that equally shared parenting is the custody arrangement in the best interest of a child. Last action, assigned to committee 1/27/10.
HB2443 requires a school or day care official to verify the identity of a person seeking custody of a child before permitting the requested change in the child’s custody arrangement at the school or day care center. Last action, assigned to committee 1/27/10.
HB2499 requires a parent desiring to relocate more than 100 miles from the other parent or outside the state to send notice of the move to the other parent no later than 90 days, rather than 60 days, before the move.Last action, assigned to committee 1/27/10.
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I don’t know if this answers why Shaw would so openly question Hardaway, but one thing is clear, the Child Support System is an area of interest for Hardaway. Hopefully, in the coming days we’ll get a better understanding of his interest in these issues.