November 21, 2019 by Mark Bliss ~ Southeast Missourian
Area lawmakers will introduce bills for the 2020 state legislative session addressing everything from shared parenting to texting while driving.
Lawmakers can pre-file bills beginning next month.
State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, said his top priority is to pass a shared-parenting bill. It would create a “rebuttal presumption” for parents in child-custody cases to receive equal time with their children, he said.
He introduced similar legislation last session, but it failed to pass.
“This is going to be a big push for me,” he said. “Most fatherlessness is created by outdated court systems, not abandonment, so I want to get that corrected.”
State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, plans to offer a similar bill in the House. The goal, she said, is to force judges to start with the premise parents should be granted equal time with their children unless there is evidence showing such a move is not warranted.
Read the full article at the Southeast Missourian