As a mother and grandmother, I’d like to thank Rep. Jim Neely (R-Cameron) for standing up for Missouri’s children by sponsoring the shared parenting bill, and now that the state legislature has backed his proposal, it’s time for Gov. Nixon to follow suit.
I feel so strongly about this legislation, HB 1550, because I’ve felt the pain Missouri’s broken family court system inflicts on families. Children are hurting. Parents are hurting. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents – everyone’s hurting. This unfortunate reality occurs because our courts continue rubber stamping the outdated primary residential custody parenting model after divorce or separation, despite an overwhelming amount of research showing children need and want equal access to both parents.