MN: JPC Bill Update - Help Needed

 

 Family Court Reform in Minnesota

JPC UPDATE/Legislative Action Alert

You Can Make a Difference! TAKE ACTION NOW!!

Thursday March 17, 2011

Joint Physical Custody/Equal Shared Parenting (JPC/ESP) Bill Update:

There's been a lot going on behind the scenes. More than you can imagine: proofing and editing the bill, trying to add everything that needs to get added for the "right" reform, then pulling back because the legislative process only knows one thing - incremental change not strategic overhaul, meeting with legislators, hearing opposition, responding to opposition, doing research to combat opposition, educating people on the facts, re-writing the bill to make accommodations for all the various people who have thoughts on what should be in the bill, balancing the deadlines, understanding committee process, researching all current law to make sure we don't duplicate or conflict with anything currently in statute, meetings, meetings, and more meetings. Progress is being made. But now we face committee deadlines.

MN HOUSE: The JPC/ESP bill is HF322. We still don't know when we will get a hearing in the House Civil Law Committee. If/when we pass out of that committee the bill goes to House Judiciary (Rep Steve Smith). The judiciary and the department of human services are given an opportunity on each bill to say what they think it will cost their departments to implement the bill. Anytime they want to kill a bill, they just make a high fiscal note. When there is no state money to implement the bill, it often dies. There is no apparent process to challenge a fiscal note. Rep Diane Anderson just got a nearly $1 million fiscal note from the court system on her bill HF0292/SF0498. Anytime a bill gets a large fiscal note, it's difficult to proceed. Sometimes there are ways to get past it, but it is appears to be a highly "political" process.

The JPC/ESP bill could STILL get a fiscal note. We don't know. But we know there are plenty of "system insiders" who want to kill our bill. Fiscal deadlines are March 25. The opposition can also drag their feet on a fiscal note so by the time you get it its too late. Any legislative loophole like that is possible. The committee has no time to hear our bill before April at this point. We now face the uncertainty of a fiscal note, and we have the uncertainty of when the JPC/ESP bill will be heard in committee.

SENATE: We have been waiting to "perfect" our bill in the House before introducing it in the Senate. The deadline for introducing bills is next Friday. We will have our Senate bill by then. We have had an author for quite some time. 

VOLUNTEER WORK NEEDED:

1) Contact all house of representatives - emails and phone numbers available www.house.leg.state.mn.us .. ask them to support HF322 - explain (briefly and without anger) how poorly the current family court system and how laws are not working, and especially the negative impact on children. Send them weekly emails providing quotes from key research supporting JPC/ESP.

2) Contact any and all MEDIA - we need the media to take interest in following and covering this issue - newspaper, radio talk show, radio news, and TV news. Send them research. Let them know it's a national issue, not just a Minnesota issue. Media can contact the bill author Rep Peggy Scott or CPR at JPCeffort@cpr-mn.org

3) Contact Governor Dayton via email and provide an emotional and logical appeal (without any anger) as to why he should support this NON-PARTISAN bill. Tell the Governor how you can't even fight for joint physical custody or shared parenting, even when you want to because of the current law, the inherent bias in the system, and the expense of attorneys which most people can't afford. If you voted for Governor Dayton, you might want to let him know. We have heard from our opposition that Governor Dayton will veto this bill. We don't know for sure. But he needs to hear why this bill is important to the average working class people. He is divorced and he apparently got as much contact with his 2 boys as he wanted. Sometimes when "it all works out" for fathers, they forget it's NOT working out for everyone, especially those who don't have the money to fight the battle. Tell him your obstacles, and how it affects your children, ask him to SIGN the bill "when" it makes it through the house and senate.

Call Gov Dayton at 651 201 3400 or 800 657 3717

Email mark.dayton@state.mn.us

Email yvonne.prettnersolon@state.mn.us

4) IMPORTANT NEW VOLUNTEER PROJECT: We need to put together the NUMBERS with the logic and data to back up the numbers, regarding how JPC/ESP will SAVE government (state and county) money. If you are an expert with numbers and know how the court and human social services work, and are not afraid to delve into reports, spreadsheets, and other data to get the information that is needed, PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW YOU CAN HELP, NOW! We need this information within the next 10 days. We need someone with interest, drive, initiative, who is self-directed, knows how to get the information or will figure it out, and has time. We have an initial list of all the cost savings ideas ... we will provide that if you are qualified, we just need someone to dig into the details. Email JPCeffort@cpr-mn.org and let us know how you might be qualified for this "urgent" project.

5) IMPORTANT DONATION NEEDED: We want to provide some educational information to legislators on this issue. We need about $500 to do this. Please consider making a donation today. Email JPCeffort@cpr-mn.org if you can help with the contribution. If you can't personally, please think of someone you can ask. DONATIONS CAN BE MAILED TO: CPr P.O. Box 130776 Roseville, MN 55113

FINALLY:

Use "forward to a friend" button below to spread the word and tell others.

We need everyone involved – fathers, mothers, grandparents, second spouses, adult children of divorce, and more!

The progress we make is in direct proportion to the number of people willing to volunteer and take the above actions - or other ideas you have!

 

Above all else --- PRAY for God's blessings on this much needed long awaited process of family law reform!

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Center for Parental Responsibility - P.O. Box 130776, 2868 Middle St, Little Canada, MN, 55117, 55113, United States