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Massachusetts Action Alert: Shared Parenting Bill to Be Heard, We Need Your Presence, Your Phone Calls

Fathers and Families’ Shared Parenting bill (H02684) will have its public hearing by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on Wednesday, May 18 at the State House in Boston. We want your help for this critical hearing. We need you to:

1) Call the members of the Judiciary Committee (as well as your local legislators) and let them know that you support H02684.

The contact info. for all Committee Members is here. To find your own state senator or representative, click here. Tell us how your interactions went by writing to us at FathersandFamilies@FathersandFamilies.org.

2) Be there on Wednesday, May 18 at 1 pm in the Gardner Auditorium at the State House when the bill is heard. For directions, click here. Tell us you will be attending by emailing us at FathersandFamilies@FathersandFamilies.org.

Background on H02684

Fathers and Families members’ Citizen Lobbyist efforts of the past several months have paid off, as nearly 30% of all Massachusetts legislators signed on as co-sponsors of Shared Parenting legislation. For a complete list of these legislators, click here or see the bottom of this page.

What to Do at the Hearing Wednesday, May 18

We need you to:

  • Tell the committee members that you are in favor of shared parenting legislation. You’ll be limited to three minutes, and they will enforce this.
  • Be polite.
  • Speak lovingly of your children and how they would be helped by shared parenting.

You don”t need to be an expert on the text of our shared parenting bill (the pros and cons, etc.) because you won’t be questioned by legislators.

Please do not:

  • Spend time criticizing your ex, the judges, feminists, or the legislators.
  • Make claims and accusations you cannot prove, such as financial corruption, legislators being in the pocket of the lawyers, or whatever. Leave the anger and the threats to run them out of office at home.
  • Go off topic. This is the time to talk about shared parenting, not about child support, restraining orders, or other subjects.

F & F’s History of Organizing Popular Support for Shared Parenting in Massachusetts

While we have been stymied to date by a small minority on the Judiciary Committee, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of the population of Massachusetts favors shared parenting, and it’s safe to say that most legislators favor it, too. We say this because:

  • An  F & F Massachusetts shared parenting ballot initiative in 2004 won by a huge margin (86%-14%).
  • Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told the Massachusetts legislature that if they pass our shared parenting bill, he will sign it, and F & F  has met with Patrick.
  • F & F has consistently been able to gather large numbers of legislative co-sponsors for shared parenting, including future U.S. Senator Scott Brown and many others.
  • Shared parenting was the most-requested plank in the Platform of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in 2009.
  • Shared parenting was endorsed in principle by the editorial board of the Boston Globe in 2008.

To learn more about Shared Parenting bill H02684, including a short summary, a detailed summary, and the full text of the bill, please visit our Massachusetts Shared Parenting page here.

To contribute financially to support Fathers and Families’ work on H02684 and Shared Parenting, please click here.

Please feel free to call us with any questions about the hearing at (617) 542-9300.

Together with you in the love of our children,

Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S.
Founder, Chairman of the Board

Glenn Sacks, MA
Executive Director

Massachusetts Legislators Who Signed on to Co-Sponsor Shared Parenting Legislation for 2011

Paul  Adams 17th Essex
Denise Andrews 2nd Franklin
James Arciero 2nd Middlesex
F. Jay  Barrows 1st Bristol
Matthew  Beaton 11th Worcester
Jennifer E.  Benson 37th Middlesex
John J. Binienda 17th Worcester
Stephen M.  Brewer Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin
William N.  Brownsberger 24th Middlesex
Thomas J.  Calter 12th Plymouth
Linda Dean Campbell 15th Essex
Sal N.  DiDomenico Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex
James J. Dwyer 30th Middlesex
Carolyn C. Dykema 8th Middlesex
Kimberly Ferguson 1st Worcester
Paul K.  Frost 7th Worcester
Sean  Garballey 23rd Middlesex
Colleen M. Garry 36th Middlesex
Anne M. Gobi 5th Worcester
Thomas A. Golder, Jr. 16th Middlesex
Robert L.  Hedlund Plymouth and Norfolk
Carlos Henriquez 5th Suffolk
Bradford Hill 4th Essex
Kate  Hogan 3rd Middlesex
Bradley H. Jones, Jr. 20th Middlesex
Brian A. Joyce Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth
Thomas P.  Kennedy Second Plymouth and Bristol
Michael R.  Knapik Second Hampden and Hampshire
Robert M. Koczera 11th Bristol
Kevin Kuros 8th Worcester
Steven L. Levy 4th Middlesex
Jason M. Lewis 31st Middlesex
David Paul Linsky 5th Middlesex
James  Lyons 18th Essex
Thomas M. McGee Third Essex and Middlesex
Paul  McMurtry 11th Norfolk
Aaron Michlewitz 3rd Suffolk
Shaunna  O’Connell 3rd Bristol
James J. O’Day 14th Worcester
George N. Peterson, Jr. 9th Worcester
Anthony W.  Petruccelli First Suffolk and Middlesex
Elizabeth Poirier 14th Bristol
John P. Presolo 16th Worcester
Angelo J.  Puppolo, Jr. 12th Hampden
Richard J.  Ross Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex
Angelo M. Scaccia 14th Suffolk
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr. 34th Middlesex
Todd M. Smola 1st Hampden
Joyce A.  Spiliotis 12th Essex
David B.  Sullivan 6th Bristol
Benjamin Swan 11th Hampden
Bruce E. Tarr First Essex and Middlesex
James E. Timilty Bristol and Norfolk
Walter F.  Timilty 7th Norfolk
Steven A. Tolman Second Suffolk and Middlesex
Chris Walsh 6th Middlesex
Daniel Winslow 9th Norfolk

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