November 16th, 2012 by Robert Franklin, Esq.
The Center for Parental Responsibility in Minnesota is gearing up for another attempt to make equally (or almost equally)-shared parenting the default position in custody cases in the state. Last year, the excellent and long-suffering Molly Olson and the rest of CPR succeeded in convincing the state legislature to pass a watered down version of earlier efforts, which constituted a huge victory. Incredibly, Governor Mark Dayton listened to the self-interested claims of divorce lawyers and vetoed the bill. While doing so, he pledged to take a closer look at the issue “next year.” Well, next year is almost here and the Center for Parental Responsibility is back and loaded for bear.
Here’s Molly’s latest call to rally the troops. If you’re in Minnesoata, or even if you’re not, this is the best bill and the best possibility in the country for significantly advancing the cause of equal parenting. Please help if you can.
Please help us further the cause by contacting NEW Minnesota legislators AND the Minnesota Governor Dayton:
The newly elected Minnesota legislature for 2013 is uncertain at this point – key DFL leaders are opposed to JPC/ESP. Our progress is in the hands of DFL leadership (call legislature or see their website for details, or see email below.)
Our best hope for change is for AS MANY OF YOU AS POSSIBLE to WRITE (snail mail) and EMAIL and CALL legislators AND the Governors office at least once every 2 weeks from NOW until May 2013 – help us keep the pressure on to pass a bill for joint physical custody and equal shared parenting. Citizen outcry makes all the difference in the world.
When you make mail/email/phone contact – DO NOT BE ANGRY-DO NOT ATTACK anyone personally – but be persistent and whenever possible provide information about HOW the current system is hurting your children (or those families you know), AND provide some research as to why JPC/ESP is best for children. (There are lots of articles on the website www.cpr-mn.org for you to draw from. AND do your own google research online – there’s an abundance of research. But remember, legislators don’t read anything long. DO NOT just send them a link or attachment to research – YOU MUST summarize that research for them, by pulling out 3-6-8 KEY QUOTES from the article.)
Please forward any responses you get back from legislators or the Governors office to us at JPCeffort@cpr-mn.org – we like to see the emails you send too, so we know what legislators are being contacted.
COMMIT TO DOING SOMETHING – we made progress last year because we had as many people calling legislators as those who wanted the stadium. We need to be a constant voice. We need to be a thorn in their side, so they know we will NOT go away.
If you wonder what to do, or how to do it, contact Molly at JPCeffort@cpr-mn.org