Call WA state Senator Hargrove today in support of SB6270 -- Shared Parenting Initiative!

[minicoopsmom]

Shared pareting bill for WA - call Senator Hargrove today!"


              

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6270&year=2006

Last year a shared parenting bill was introduced in the Washington state senate. It went to Human Services & Corrections and never went anywhere. Modifications were made, yet this bill continues to be the right thing for children and good for families. It doesn't address money and prevents shared if a parent is not fit and it keeps parents out of court and enables equal access to children by BOTH parents. It is again before the WA state senate and in Human Services & Corrections yet its not been scheduled for a hearing. Join us in calling the Senator who is the Chair of the Comittee and denounce SB6200 as nothing more than a piece of paper
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2006&bill=6200
designed to pacify parents who don't have equal acess to thier children and pleasantly demand that SB6270 is heard this session without delay!

Read about SB6270 and then call and write Senator:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6270&year=2006

James Hargrove - Chair (D) http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/hargrove

and for good measure contact the Vice Chair Debbie Regala - Vice Chair (D) - http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/regala

If anyone from WA state wants to testify to the unreasonable treatment in family courts or volunteer ...please reply to this thread, I'll keep you in the loop.

This can become a viral campaign, that spreads from Washinton to all the states, this is in the interest of EVERYONE, especially children!

Children need both parents!

 

[Dez]

So does this (SB 6270) replace (SB 5350)? Looks to be the same bill. Do you happen to know who in the Senate supporte this bill? I scoured the WA state senate site a week or so ago and could only fing Sen. Kastama in support of it.

[wendl]

We have dealt with WA state 1st hand, many commissioners do not think that shared parenting is a good idea, I could name a few.

My DH has a case in WA State and I do as well, which thankfully will be transfering to our new home state.

I could reply to some things, BUT some lovely person and their friends print everything I post here to use against, my dh in court.

But if you have a private email I would love to give some input on the unreasonable treatment in family courts.

Send me a private message.

**These are my opinions, they are not legal advice**

[minicoopsmom]

SB6270 DOES replace 5350, it has some small concessions and is this years version of shared parenting, but its STILL a good thing. It's good for kids period. Here's the bill info:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6270&year=2006

I've been in Olympia all day today, speaking with the Human Services and & Corrections committee. Had a 1:1 with Senator Hargrove, and Senator Kastama.

Here's a quick summary: We have two sponsors, Senator Kastama and Senator Swecker. (Democrat and Republican, respectively.) They are both very much in favor of this bill and Kastama knows his way around (he was the sponsor for this bill last year, and knows where the push back comes from. He believes that there is a lot of support in the house for later, also.) We got a public confirmation from Hargrove today that he will allow the bill to be heard; however, its not getting out of this committee until we get the rest of the committee to vote for it. We will know what day SB6270 will be heard tomorrow they told us. I'll post that info. as soon as I hear.

**According to our sources, Thibaudeau will never vote for this. That doesn't mean she's not worth trying. Call her and ask why, and keep asking....we are unsure about Regala. Stevens and Carrell are said to be firmly in our camp. Hargrove will vote with the majority, Hargrove backs us if we get the other votes. McAuliffe and Bradland are unknown but said to be a yes. We have follow up meeting with Regala and Thibaudeau a week from Friday to find out what their objections might be. Write them all anyway.

The critical element will be getting WA voters in the below Senator's districts to write to get them to support this. This means ralling EVERYONE you can to write to the senators on this committee. You can all do a lot for this bill by ralling your husbands, wives, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends in WA state and get them to write AND call the senators on this list (the more in district, the better):

James Hargrove - Chair (D) - 24th district
(360) 786-7646 phone
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/hargrove
Click on the links for email and address for each Senator listed

Debbie Regala - Vice Chair (D) - 27th district
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/regala
(360) 786-7652

Val Stevens - Ranking Minority Member (R) - 39th District
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/stevens
(360) 786-7676

Dale Brandland (R) - 42nd District
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/brandland
(360) 786-7682

Mike Carrell (R) - 28th District
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/carrell
(360) 786-7654

Rosemary McAuliffe (D) - 1st District
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/mcauliffe
(360) 786-7600

Pat Thibaudeau (D) - 43rd District**
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/thibaudeau
(360) 786-7628

Human Services & Corrections
226 Modular Building 2 - P.O. Box 40466 - Olympia, WA 98504-0466
Telephone: (360) 786-7414
Fax: (360) 786-7899
Toll-Free Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000

Go, go, go, write, call, act! Let's give kids both parents!

[minicoopsmom]

Email me at [email protected] if you want to ask me questions outside of the forum. But even better, just write the senators. :) They are the ones that need convincing. I'm 110% for this bill and I know the system is a mess. :)

Minicoopsmom

[Dez]

Thanks for the good info. It's good to know who the supporters of this bill are.

What's not good is the fact that this bill is a no-brainer, and should have already been passed!

[minicoopsmom]

My sentiments exactly.

[FatherTime]

Any news on how the hearings went in the Senate?

[4honor]

In my experience, she has a mind set that "the way we have always done things isn't broke, so you better have 100 times the proof that this needs messed with before I go changing anything"... at least on this issue.

I have been corresponding off and on with her about shared parenting -- after all, most families that is the case BEFORE the divorce, why change it after the divorce (i.e., The kids are raised by both parents). BUt she has some supposed expert witness psychologist telling her that the typical back and forth a child in a joint physical custody goes through is not the child's best interests.  

I sent studies (thank you SPARC) which contradict her mind set and tried to educate her. She got stuck on the fact about 'in states where there is a rebuttable presumption of shared parenting (absent a finding of unfitness) the divorce rates go down.' She asked for my input.

I told her my opinion, that divorce is relatively easy to get. 70% of divorces are initiated by women.... most of whom state irreconcilable differences or feeling unfulfilled as their reason (just those parents who would be affected by this bill). So if you don't automatically "get" the kids, (and thus the house and maybe the car and CS) you have to rethink your strategy. Suddenly, the negatives about divorce (less money, more stress, et al) are what looms into their minds, not whether they can "make it ... if I have the kids." Sometimes rethinking stops the divorce and refocuses that parent toward counseling or doing other things to find fulfillment -- rather than dissolving their marriage.

She was good at continuing the dialogue until I suggested that NCP's had the same kinds of expenses that CPs have for the kids and CS guidelines and orders would need revamped if this bill were to pass. Then she disappeared from the conversation (got bored? staffer deleted my emails? Don't know.)

I went looking for information on the hearing and nothing is posted yet.

[minicoopsmom]

I sure would like your email...I've seen you post some great things about your work on changing things in WA state....but your profile is disabled...I'd like to talk with you and fill you in on what we are doing and see if we can get you on board.

Bascially, this is what happened. WE have till Feb. 3rd....for the vote. The public hearings went off, Regala and Thibideau are our real issues.

I'll be back to post more later.

[dontunderstand]

I haven't been on for a while, but I am in WA. and truthfully, WA sucks when it comes to family court.  I would love to do ANYTHING that I can do to help!!!  Let me know and please keep me updated!!!

[minicoopsmom]

Write your letters, make your phone calls. If you'd like to tap in more to discussions about these bills in the legislature and other family court issues....sign up for

[email protected]

also watch for updates on toprights.org

Right now were dealing with the democrats on the Human Services Committe holding this bill hostage. Senator Hargrove will not let the bill out of committee without a unanimous vote. (Issue #1, it should be MAJORITY not Unanimous, but he's the chair....) Secondly, Senators Regala and Thibideau won't vote for it. We need to put the pressure on them. Regala belives that Judges should have discretion to decide shared pareting, unfortunately, that's not a good solution because they RARELY award it (hence the need for the bill.) Thibideau is in the pockets of the DV lobby who don't want this bill because they claim that it will harm abused mothers and children. BUT there is a clause in there that addresses this issue too. Shared parenting is only for good parents. Not parents charged with abuse, neglect, drug use, etc. And there are already domestic violence laws in effect that should take care of domestic violence issues, KWIM?

Anyway that's the update. If anyone wants to email me: [email protected]

Keep up the fight! The original bill sponsor (a democrat) says he's been fighting for this for 10 years and will continue the fight until he's thrown from office. Someday this will happen and other states will follow.  If you know what side your Rep. or Senator stands on this issue, that's good info. for me to know too, we're keeping tabs on who is anti family and pro family.
 

[CaseyAutumn]

Thanks for the heads up on this bill.  I am going to be in Olympia on  Wednesday the 15th of February to meet with the Chairwomen of the Family Law Committee to introduce my fight for custody of my daughter and ask for a bill to bring oversight to the (anti) Family Court Services.
Any support would be appreciated.  

[minicoopsmom]

Still waiting for an update on 6270, but there are a couple other bills that you should know about as well:

check out toprights.org for our updates on Family Law bills.

And you can go to leg.wa.gov and search for house bills or senate bills, these are the biggies you should read:

SB = senate bill
HB = house bill

SB6270 - shared parenting

HB2462 - Reviewing CS tables, this we are FOR, we worked on this long and hard and while DSHS doesn't want to reveiw the tables because MA and PA have found that shared income model OVERSTATES the CS that an NCP should pay, we're forcing them to address this and other issues like credit for residential time, and support for second famlies.
 
HB2786 - Schools notifying NCPs of childs events, grades (without having to fight the CP for the info.)

Good luck, post here or e-me at [email protected] if you want to talk more.

[4honor]

I already emailed you and got no answer. Did you get it?


BTW, did I tell you that I have a very close connection to a bulk mailing business?

[minicoopsmom]

We have a forum at [email protected]

If any of you are interested in helping/talking about these issues, join us. Tell them eLisa sent you. :)

We post meeting updates, trips to Olympia, town hall meetings, and everything that we know of that is going on. We need more people to join us and someone with contacts in direct mail (4honor) would be great.

The problem is building a database of people (voters) in WA that can act with us and whom we can communicate with so they can write letters, come speak, help us organize.

I believe this is possible because other states are presenting shared parenting bills also. TN and WI have bills in their legislature which address  this same issue and CA tried to pass it once already too.

If only we had access to the lists of Payors in the DSHS database, I'll bet we could get some real notice if we all stood up and marched on Olympia together!! Look at what the other groups that lobbied for their rights have managed to do.

toprights.org
[email protected]