ALL Studies show EQUAL Physical Time with Both Parents is in Best Interest of Children

Going back and forth between parents has no measurable effect, while unequal time with parents proves to be detrimental – Support & Pass HB 803 Equal Parenting for Kids

At the April 2021 hearing for Texas HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill, Representative Ramos questioned if it was harmful and bad for children to have to go back and forth between parents in an equal parenting arrangement. That is a good question, and thankfully we know the answer to that is definitively no. Not because I say so, but because the experts all say so. But in the end, do we really even need the experts to know that kids want and desire to have a loving relationship with both fit and loving parents, and they hurt greatly without it?

Fortunately, every study from every university or doctor or psychologist says that there is no harm to children to have to go back and forth between two loving parents and two loving homes with two sets of beds and toys and clothes.

EVERY study does however show that there is drastic and detrimental harm to children when they do not have equal possession and access with both of their fit and loving parents. No study or psychologist will say otherwise, and over 100 peer reviewed studies from unbiased professionals all say that joint time with both parents leads to drastically better outcomes for children across the board in every metric and area of measurement. Equal Parenting is proven to be in the best interest of children!

Over the past few decades, countless studies have reinforced the notion that equal parenting time is generally better for children’s well-being. As a recent reference, consider Linda Nielsen’s 2018 article published by the Journal of Child Custody.

In this article, Nielsen’s findings show that approximately 80% of children living under joint physical custody arrangements have better outcomes than those living under sole physical custody with regard to their behavioral, emotional, physical, and academic well-being, as well as better relationships with their parents and grandparents. Her findings also indicate that another 10% of joint physical custody children have equally positive outcomes in those areas in comparison to sole physical custody children.

If this were a family court proceeding, the expert testimony would hold weight and sway the judge. Well, these experts, all the experts, say that equal parenting is best for kids and leads to better outcomes. The State Representatives of Texas should put some weight to these experts, and not listen to the attorney lobby groups who have a financial interest in parents not sharing kids, and they have so ingrained into some of the representatives the idea that kids having equal access to both fit and loving parents is somehow a bad thing. Ignoring these facts and studies only holds children back and harms them. All teen crime, and drug use, and suicide, and school drop outs all primarily come from unequal parenting homes. That is the fact. Texas Representatives must stand up for the children of Texas and stand for their future and their best interest. Texas must pass HB 803 Equal Parenting bill.

Texas News Stations are questioning why Chairwoman Victoria Neave is holding up a hearing for HB 803 Equal Parenting bill

Texas News Stations are questioning why Chairwoman Victoria Neave is holding up a hearing for HB 803 Equal Parenting bill which has 21 bipartisan authors, is wildly popular among voters from all political spectrums and minority groups, and will greatly help children who are hurting and torn apart in the current unequal family law system. Check out the attached news story from Fox 7 Austin. One questioned mentioned in the article is whether money from the attorney lobbyists, which have a financial interest in parents not getting along and wanting to fight in court over kids, is a contributing factor on why this vital and bipartisan bill is not even getting a hearing and an up or down vote?

Is there anyone even opposed to kids getting equal access to both loving parents as the starting point in custody cases, as long as both parents are fit, willing, and able?

More info on Equal Parenting here: www.EqualJusticeTaskForce.com

Texas parents fight for child custody bill to get committee hearing (fox7austin.com)

Texas parents fight for child custody bill to get committee hearing House Bill 803, currently awaiting a committee hearing, would change the default to equally shared parenting as long as both parents are deemed capable. www.fox7austin.com

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from Fox 7 Austin:

Texas parents fight for child custody bill to get committee hearing

By Carissa Lehmkuhl

Published 5 days ago

Family

FOX 7 Austin 

AUSTIN, Texas - As the clock ticks on the 2021 Texas legislative session, there is a child custody bill waiting for a committee hearing. 

Parents FOX7 spoke to are asking that this legislation be given the chance for a vote before it’s too late.

"I’m not just a stepmom, I’m a child of divorce, my husband is a child of divorce, my son’s mother is a child of divorce, his stepfather is a child of divorce," said SarahJae Johnston, southwest regional manager of The Fathers’ Rights Movement. "We know the ramifications from generation to generation of having these really bad archaic and misogynistic laws.

Johnston is referring to the current Texas standard possession order which defaults to a 75/25 split between parents in the event of a divorce, rather than 50/50 with the option to amend. House Bill 803, currently awaiting a committee hearing, would change the default to equally shared parenting as long as both parents are deemed capable.

"When you go in now you start at 75/25 split which increases the litigation and the fighting because if you do not annihilate that other parent in family court, you’re going to only see your child 25 percent of their life," said Johnston.

Johnston herself knows about litigation, fighting, and the financial cost. She said between her, her husband, his ex-wife, and his ex-wife’s current husband, they spent around $14,000 in legal fees to equally share parenting of their son, Jeremy, who has also been active in pushing for child custody laws to change. 

"This is really about the kids," said Johnston. "What our standard possession order in our family code right now says to kids is, ‘You get your left arm all the time, but we’re only going to let you use your right arm four days a month plus four hours.’"

Johnston believes it’s also a women’s issue. According to the attorney general’s office, around 92% of custodial parents are women.

"We’re telling young girls you can do all these amazing things, you can be more than a homemaker, but if they walk into the family court we’re taking away their ability," she said. "We say, no, you’re going to be 100% responsible, you’re always going to be the one that has to do this, and it would be nice if Dad participates, but under the law, we’re just going to say he doesn’t need to."

Derek Berry, a single father of three children, is also advocating for HB 803 after his own experience with fighting for custody. "After a long, lengthy, expensive litigation process and five attorneys, I finally got a 45/55 joint managing conservatorship," he said. 

His grassroots organization Texas 25.03 now exists to help families navigating the child custody process. "With shared parenting, none of this would have to be around," he said. 

Right now, HB 803 has stalled. It has yet to receive a hearing in the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, chaired by state Rep. Victoria Neave (D-Dallas). Berry and Johnston, along with many other parents voicing their concerns in Facebook comments, are wondering why. 

"With 21 co-sponsors and bipartisan support, we’re really scratching our heads," said Berry. "At least let’s get a vote on this."

Ultimately, Johnston and Berry believe it’s about money. "The bottom line is, in my personal opinion, is it’s about money," said Johnston. "If you take the conflict out, you’re going to lower the litigation, that’s going to lower the income that comes into lawyers for those of us that end up going back to court over and over and over again."

Other bills filed this legislative session addressing family custody issues include SB 2011, HB 2153, and HB 4240. Johnston and Berry were at the Capitol to speak at a hearing for HB 4240 on Monday. They are still waiting for a hearing to be scheduled for HB 803.

FOX7 reached out to Rep. Neave’s office on Wednesday and has not heard back

Arkansas Passes Equal Parenting Bill - Texas Still Waiting for Hearing on HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill

Right over the Texas border, Arkansas, has signed into law an Equal Parenting bill that is the strongest in the nation. 

Texas has an Equal Parenting Bill, HB 803. It passed out of committee last year nearly unanimously. This year it has 21 bi-partisan authors and has the support of voters across all political spectrums, minority groups, all genders, all parts of Texas, and supported by the science and university and psychological studies all showing equal parenting is best for kids and even best for women. 

Texas HB 803 has not gotten a hearing yet and time is running out before the bill dies, which would seem unheard of for such a popular, bi-partisan bill that will greatly help children, to not even be given a hearing in time to get an up or down vote. It would seem to defy the very intent of democracy.

On April 7, 2021, Arkansas became the second state in the nation to pass a law for a rebuttable presumption of joint custody, defined as equal parenting time. Not only that, but we became the first to require clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption. SB18 passed the House with a vote of 71-16 and the Senate 33-2, and gave us the strongest joint custody law in the country.

Equal Parenting is the future, and Texas should lead and make history, instead of just following the coat tails of other states who have passed it with great success, such as Kentucky.

If you are a legislator who has not signed up for the bill as an Author, please do so. And please reach out to fellow State Rep, Chairwoman Victoria Neave, and ask her to set the bill for a hearing Next Week in the JJFI Committee.

Black Civil Rights Pastors ask Rep. Victoria Neave for Hearing on HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill

The following is a letter from African American Civil Rights Leader Bill Owens, who marched with MLK Jr., who is now asking Representative Victoria Neave, Chairwoman of the JJFI Committee, to set HB 803 Equal Parenting bill for a hearing. 

The damage to children from unequal parenting, especially in low income and minority communities, is devastating. This bill has 21 bi-partisan authors, the most of any bill in JJFI Committee, and has support from leaders of multiple minority groups. Such a popular bill, that will have such a positive impact on children and Texas, deserves a hearing with enough time to pass and not be killed in committee without the people from both sides of the isle having a voice and a vote.

From the Desk of Bill and Deborah Owens 

April 12, 2021 

Rep. Victoria Neave 

Texas House of Representatives 

Room E1.404 

PO Box 2910 

Austin, TX 78768 

Dear Chairwoman Neave, 

We write to you today to ask you to help improve the lives of thousands of children in Texas by granting a hearing on bill HB803, the shared parenting bill. 

Today, we are contacting you as parents and private citizens. However, in our public work for the Coalition of African American Pastors, we have seen the devastation that divorce, custody issues, and the lack of two involved parents have done to generations of children. It is an especially serious problem in the African American community, where far too many young Black children grow up in single parent homes without an active and involved father. 

Currently, the law governing custody operates on the presumption that the mother should be the custodial parent. Too often, this approach deprives children of an involved father while putting far too much pressure on the mother to fill both parental roles. 

In addition to being archaic, the current system effectively disadvantages minority and low income families. Litigating for shared custody is expensive, so minority and low income children are often stuck with the default solution, where the father is little more than a weekend visitor. HB803 would create a presumption in favor of shared parenting, except when one parent is unfit. 

The social science demonstrates that children who grow up in single parent homes (usually fatherless) are at risk for higher levels of suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, incarceration, behavioral problems, and teen pregnancy. 

Please consider holding a hearing on HB803. This bill is a sensible first step towards ensuring a healthier, happier future for every family that goes through divorce. 

Thank you, 

Rev. Bill Owens and Dr. Deborah Owens 

27120 Fulshear Bend Drive, Suite 900-181 ❍ Fulshear, TX 7744