June 3, 2016
By: Ned Holstein, MD, MS Founder and Chair of the Board, National Parents Organization
When we last updated you on Missouri’s strong shared parenting bill, House Bill 1550, it had passed the Missouri House 154-2 and was awaiting action in the Senate.
We are pleased to inform you that it passed the Senate unanimously, and has been sent to Governor Jay Nixon for signature. Governor Nixon has held the bill for about a week now, and his intentions are unknown. We are hoping that he perhaps intends to sign it around Fathers Day. Alternatively, the Missouri chapter of National Parents Organization has invited him to Fatherless Day on June 17, and perhaps he will sign it there.
But we really do not know his intentions. We fear that he could follow in the footsteps of Governor Rick Scott of Florida, who, under intense lobbying pressure from the bar associations, recently vetoed a shared parenting bill passed by a large margin in the Florida Legislature.
National Parents Organization continues to agitate for passage of House Bill 1550. For instance, we recently placed this op-ed by our Missouri Chairman Linda Ruetzel in the Columbia Missourian.
Now we need all Missourians to do their part by calling, writing or emailing Governor Nixon’s office and urging him to sign House Bill 1550. Here is where to find the contact information for the Governor
After you have written, called or emailed, get three of your friends and family to do the same. No one needs to be an expert on the bill. Just let them know you want it passed. If you feel compelled to do your homework, just type in “Missouri” in the search bar on the home page of our website and you will see several articles with details. But let me repeat that this is not necessary.
Let’s make shared parenting the law in Missouri!