HB 803 Helps Low-Income Families and has Bi-Partisan Support

HB 803 will Help Low Income Families

Unequal Parenting laws Hurt Low-Income Families who cannot afford an attorney and get stuck with standard orders with unequal parenting or bad deals that are not in the best interest of the children.

HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill will Help Low Income Families because it will create the starting point as equal parenting for fit, willing, and able parents.

Currently, if a low-income family wants to even try to do more than the current standard possession order unequal parenting starting point, they need an attorney that they cannot afford. This means they get stuck with bad deals and bad agreements or just accept the standard orders. This is why you see lower income families not going to court to get the judge to grant something more equal and fairer because these low-income families do not have the money to hire an attorney.

Even worse, if one parent does have money and the other parent does not, then the parent with money can get the good attorney and the other parent would not have the money to try to get equal parenting. This is the situation we see often when it is the woman who gets ordered to only see their kids every other weekend even though the parents are both good parents. Unequal starting point hurts low-income parents and hurts the kids. Equal Starting point will bring fit parents to court on even ground so less fighting and less conflict and better for the kids! That means even low-income parents who are both fit with no issues don’t need the expensive attorney to try to move up to equal parenting orders because that will be the starting point and then a judge can go down from there with just cause.

The Current Law DOES NOT have an equal parenting option, nor can parents just elect to have more time without having to hire an attorney and have a trial, nor do Judges typically grant it unless you have LOTS of MONEY to hire an attorney for a trial. Do not be fooled by lobbyists who say you can already get equal parenting in Texas. The standard order is the starting point check box that the law says a judge should check, and to vary from that takes money, which is why the new starting point for fit, willing, and able parents should be EQUAL PARENTING HB 803. It is better for courts and better for kids and Judges can still go down from there with just cause for the kids, but there will be much less fighting going into court & better deals for low-income families with both fit parents going into court on equal parenting ground.

HB 803 has Bi-Partisan Authorship!    A dozen Authors and Coauthors already have signed up to HB 803 with HALF being Republican and HALF being Democrat. With so much divisiveness in politics, this is truly a moment where both sides can come together and do something massively great for kids and for society! Support Equal Parenting!

MORE INFO: http://EqualJusticeTaskForce.com

Equal Parenting added to Texas GOP Platform and Top 15 Legislative Priority - Support HB 803

For a Texas Republican Legislator, voting against HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill this legislative session would mean voting against their own party platform, and going against a top GOP issue. That is because at the Texas GOP State Convention 2020, around 8000 Texas GOP State Delegates voted to add EQUAL PARENTING as a 2020 Texas GOP Platform Plank, because kids need both parents in their lives equally.

The 2020 Texas GOP Platform Plank 94 Declares: “Equal Parenting: We support legislation providing for equal and consistent parenting time (possession and access) for every child, when both parents are fit, willing, and able as it is in the best interest of the child.”

It was a Major win in Texas for Equal Parenting and Major win for Texas Children who want and need both parents in their lives equally and less court battles tearing them apart! The idea of equal possession and access for fit parents is not a new one, but it had never been specifically addressed by the Texas Republican Party platform, or any state party that we are aware of. That is mostly due to the idea of equal parenting being common sense that kids need and should have a right to see both good parents equally, and also due to most people had no idea that the law already didn’t set equal parenting as the standard.

We took the issue of Equal Parenting to the 2020 Republican Party of Texas state convention committees and delegates. One by one, women and mothers and men and fathers testified at the state convention about how millions of children’s lives get torn apart in family court. One by one people testified about how the current family law incentivizes conflict and incentivizes parents fighting in court for more time. No one knew that the law did not already start parents off at equal possession and access with kids after two parents split with the judge being able to go lower than equal custody with just cause. No one knew that the law actually starts parents off with standard possession order which means only one parent gets every other weekend to see their kids, and if you want equal custody or even just more time than 4 nights a month you have to fight, and go bankrupt on attorneys, and be in constant conflict in court fights with the kids in the middle as pawns. No one knew how damaging and far reaching this crisis was with unequal parenting contributing to huge financial burdens on society, and unequal parenting being the primary factor in the majority of all child issues from teen crime to teen pregnancy to teen drug use to teen suicides to teen school dropouts.

When this was presented to the Texas State Convention platform and priorities committee delegates, not only was equal parenting passed out of committee unanimously as a proposed platform plank, but it was also passed out of legislative priorities committee as a top 6 priority, and then it still made the top 15 list of priorities by the full delegates before the delegates narrowed the list down to the top 8. For those of you who are not familiar with it means for equal parenting to make the top list of 15 issues, it means the Republican party of Texas made a list of issues the delegates believe are the most important issues to get passed at the next legislative session. The delegates then voted on the top eight priorities and equal parenting might not have made the top eight list of other very important pressing issues, but it was finalized as a top 15 which out of hundreds of platform issues, so being in the top 15 is huge. This is a massive win and a huge boost to equal parenting. This shows Republican Legislators that Equal Parenting is not only an important issue, but it has overwhelming support of voters. Equal Parenting is now a part of the core beliefs platform of the Texas GOP and a top issue for GOP voters.

Texas HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill is the bill that matches this new Equal Parenting Texas GOP Platform Plank. Republican Texas Representatives should vote for the bill to help kids and society, and so to not turn their back on the 8000 Texas GOP Delegates who made Equal Parenting a Republican Core Value.

Children deserve to have both a mother and father in their lives when both parents are fit willing and able. Under Equal Parenting, a court can certainly determine if one parent is abusive or not fit and under equal parenting the court can and will still not allow an abuser to have equal custody, but when the court does determine both parents are fit and both parents are willing and able to be involved equally in their child’s lives then both parents should get equal custody for the sake of the child who needs both parents. Equal Parenting does not take away discretion of a judge, it just gives them another checkbox and another tool in their toolbox. It creates the starting point as equal possession for fit parents and a judge can go down from there, instead of starting of unequal custody and parents fighting to go up from there. Equal parenting means that the new standard possession order, the new starting point, will be equal possession and access. That will be the new starting point with two good parents. The new starting point will no longer be one parent only gets four days a month. That old outdated system causes parents to fight and bicker and drag their kid to court and destroy the children’s lives as they fight over who gets more time with the child. By changing the standard possession order to have a starting point of equal parenting, millions of children who are hurting and committing suicide and committing crimes because of broken families will be helped Because there will be less fighting and less court battles and less parental alienation because both parents won’t have an option to keep fighting for no reason if both parents are fit, they will just have to do what’s best for the children and let the child see both parents equally as long as both parents are fit willing and able.

Family Attorneys Support Texas HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill

Family Attorneys are coming out and overwhelmingly supporting Texas HB 803 the Equal Parenting Bill.

Below is a letter written to you from the Jackson Law Firm. Mr. Jackson is a family attorney who is in the trenches of child custody disputes and has handled over 1500 cases. Mr. Jackson, like many other family attorneys, knows very well that the current family law system is broken, and that the facts and stats and logic are in favor of passing HB 803 Equal Parenting bill because it is in the best interest of the Kids, and will reduce conflict and unclog the courts.

Please read the following letter from Family Attorney Justin Jackson. He specifically addresses the issue with the current family laws and the current standard possession order (which create conflict), and with great detail from an experienced attorney he explains why HB 803 Equal Parenting bill will greatly reduce conflict, help kids, and unclog the courts.

This letter, and more info from attorneys and medical expert studies in support of Equal Parenting, can be found at http://EqualJusticeTaskForce.com

Jackson Law Firm

Justin M. Jackson 

1464 E. Whitestone Blvd, Suite 2201 

Attorney at Law 

Cedar Park, Texas 78613 

jjackson@thejacksonfirm.com 

P: 512.528 1900 F: 866.929.2838 

SENT VIA EMAIL 

Date: February 4, 2021 

To: Hon. Senators of the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives 

Re: In Support of House Bill 803 Equal Parenting 

To Whom It May Concern, I have served as a Texas family law attorney for approximately 15 years. Over that time, I have handled a prolific case load of more than 1,500 family law cases, primarily focusing on child custody determinations. I have concluded that the single most important cause of conflict in family courts is the incentivization of conflict by way of the Texas Family Code. 

Texas House Bill 803 drastically reduces, if not eliminates, the incentivization of conflict currently in the Texas Family Code by mandating equal parenting time for children amongst divorced or separated parents, with proper exceptions for unfit parents. In summary, enactment of this Bill would, among other things: 

1. promote peace amongst families; 

2. reduce litigation by de-incentivizing it; 

3. unburden the family court system; 

4. turn the focus of family courts to unfit parents; 

5. benefit children by providing substantial contact with both parents; and 

6. reduce the financial ruin of families through litigation. 

In support of this summary, I would offer the following: 

Unbeknownst to legislators who have not encountered divorce or child custody on a personal level, the Texas Family Code sets forth a presumption that one parent must receive a Standard Page 2 of 4 Possession Order schedule, which provides the winning parent approximately 65% of the time and the losing parent approximately 35% of the time. Notably, in my experience, that presumption is tantamount to a mandate as interpreted by the vast majority of judges I have encountered. 

To make matters worse, once the winner has been selected, Courts then award child support to the winner and require child support payments from the loser. Why? Section 154.123 of the Texas Family Code states that “the amount of time of possession of and access to a child” is a factor in determining child support. In practice, that factor alone has invariably been outcome determinative in assessing the child support award. 

As a result, far too many good parents with only personal disputes amongst themselves wage lengthy, contentious, and costly battles over the custody of their children. The stakes are simply too high as incentivized by the Texas Family Code. Stated differently, the Texas Family Code does not promote neutral outcomes in Texas Courts; it does not promote peace amongst divided families. 

Even once the dust has settled in the first round of litigation, the odds are far too high for another round of litigation over the very same issues, for all of the reasons previously stated. 

Lobbyist groups such as the Texas Family Law Foundation, and backed by large, high-dollar family law firms, have promoted false narratives to strike down previous attempts at equal parenting bills. I would invite you to visit the Texas Family Law Foundation’s (TFLF) website (https://www.texasfamilylawfoundation.com/) and, prominently on their front page is the headline: “Bills that didn't pass and the damage they would have done to your practice.”

Aside from what would be an offensive focus of the TFLF on the financial impact of legislation on Texas family lawyers instead of properly focusing on the needs of Texas families and children, in the link below that headline the TFLF states the following regarding 2019’s failed HB 2157 equal parenting law: 

“They also explained that judges could already do this where it is deemed appropriate. And, thanks to the Family Law Section poll on this issue, our lobby team shared that 72% of lawyers who had handled “50/50” custody arrangements had to return to court for modifications because often 50/50 plans are just not feasible. Based on the evident increased litigation, this arrangement should not be the presumption. This frank yet thoughtful discussion delayed the bill from being filed for a month.” 

First, the supposed poll results are misleading. What is the sample size? Is it 72% of lawyers who have ever handled a 50/50 custody arrangement returned to Court over custody and 28% who have ever handled a 50/50 custody arrangement never returned to Court over such an issue? If so, what an astounding result as I have never met a family lawyer who has never been to Court to relitigate a Standard Possession Order. Nonetheless, I have handled relitigation over 50 / 50 custody Page 3 of 4 arrangements and would emphatically state that such relitigation is most frequently about money— connected both to the presumption of a Standard Possession Order and the tie-in factor contained in Section 154.123 of the Texas Family Code. “Unfeasible” is merely the code language to judges to reinvoke the presumption. 

Further, to refute the TLFL contention that judges “already” are free to order 50 / 50 custody arrangements, in truth, judges rarely order equal parenting even when encountering two fit/competent parents because they feel constrained by the presumption in the Texas Family Code. That is not merely an assumption as countless courts have specifically stated on the record the current legal restraints which, they feel, bind their decisions. 

The difference between proponents of equal parenting laws and the TFLF and its adherents is stark: the TFLF and its adherents want courts to presume that fit parents should not have equal time with their children, while opponents, myself included, feel that courts should not be in the business of doling out winners and losers in family court except in the rare case of the unfit parent. I hope that I am not alone in the belief that the overwhelming majority of Texas Mothers and Fathers serve the best interest of their children on a daily basis. The absence of an equal parenting law suggests that the Legislature feels otherwise. 

I also fundamentally disagree with the TFLF and its adherents on what the proper purpose of family courts should be. If the consequences were not so severe and disheartening, it would almost be comical the types of central inquiries that clog our current family courts on a routine basis. In the battle over a Standard Possession Order, these types of questions are not the exception but the norm and are frequently the focal point of rulings: 

1. “Who typically gets [the child] ready for school in the morning?” 

2. “Who typically takes [the child] to school each morning? 

3. “What is your work schedule?” (A line of questioning meant to penalize working parents by suggesting they don’t spend “as much” with the child as another parent) 

4. “Over the past 3 years, who has taken [the child] to doctor’s appointments?” 

5. “Over the past 3 years, who has taken [the child] to dentist’s appointments?”

I do not believe the Legislature intended this or the litany of adverse outcomes under the existing Texas Family Code. 

I appreciate your time in thoughtfully reviewing this letter and House Bill 803. Feel free to contact my office at any time should you wish to discuss this with me further. In contrast to the TFLF and equal parenting opponents, I would eagerly trade the “damage” it would have on my practice for the valuable, generational affect it would have on Texas children and families. 

Sincerely,

Justin M. Jackson

HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill Will Decrease Domestic Violence, Help Victims of Sexual Assault

Texas HB 803 the Equal Parenting bill will decrease domestic violence, just as it did in Kentucky, and it will unclog family courts to be able to focus on victims and situations involving domestic violence and sexual assault.

First of all, under the Texas HB 803 Equal Parenting bill, people who have committed domestic violence or sexual assault will not get an equal custody starting point. HB 803 equal parenting only applies to parents who are determined to be joint managing conservators by the judge. A court has an obligation to not grant a parent with joint managing conservator if there has been domestic violence or sexual assault. So, HB 803 would not allow abusers to get equal custody starting point as they would not be determined fit to be a joint managing conservator.

I have previously written how equal parenting is unilaterally agreed by all research and facts in the medical and scientific community to be best for kids. I have written about the detrimental effects and harm that unequal parenting and especially fatherlessness does to children and society. I have even written about how equal parenting is supported by moms and women and can lead to better equality for women. Well, if that was not enough to get this bill passed, the facts are coming out to show that equal parenting laws are actually causing a decrease in domestic violence, and helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault get better heard and prioritized in family court cases.

Equal parenting bills like Texas HB 803 are now being shown to DECREASE domestic violence and conflict! Kentucky is a prime example.

Kentucky passed an equal parenting bill two years ago. In the past year of data out of Kentucky, we can see that the Kentucky equal parenting bill has caused a 4 percent decrease in domestic violence and a whopping 11 percent decrease in overall child custody dispute filings in just the first year of the law. The decrease in domestic violence following equal parenting laws makes perfect sense because the current unequal family laws incentivize conflict. The current unequal parenting laws make one parent a winner and the other parent a loser, and so both sides continually fight over who is the winner and gets the kids. People get stupid and violent and aggressive when fighting over kids. Enacting equal parenting laws like HB 803 tells parents that when they go to court the kid gets equal time as long as both parents are fit, willing and able. This equal parenting starting point incentivizes good parents to not go down the path of getting violent and aggressive. It incentivizes parents behaving better. It incentivizes parents working together to share the child instead of fighting over the child, because there is nothing to fight over if the law says the new starting point is equal parenting. Fighting and domestic violence goes down, and even overall child custody cases go down, the data from Kentucky shows. But of course, as always, any domestic abusers would already not get equal parenting because they would not be granted joint managing conservator. The Kids should be the winners and the kids should get equal time with both parents.

Equal parenting bills, like Texas HB 803, will unclog the family court system and help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to get better focus and priority in family courts.

Equal parenting bills will greatly help victims of domestic violence. Anyone who knows anything about family courts knows that they are clogged with an overwhelming number of petty disputes. Unfortunately, this has caused real, important child custody disputes to be lost in the stack of cases and pushed back. Victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, who have real issues that need to be addressed in family court, have to wait in line to have their case heard as the Judge sorts through all of the overload of cases. A victim might be waiting in line to be heard because the judge is preoccupied with stupid cases like, I don’t know, Jim and Sally over there fighting over who gets the kids because they disagree over what kind of dog shampoo is best.

You see, the current Texas standard possession order starting point has parents starting off unequal and incentivizes parents to continually fight over stupid stuff in family court as each parent tries to get more time. This has clogged family courts and has not allowed family courts to focus on the important family disputes involving family violence and sexual assault. The Texas Equal Parenting bill HB 803 will start parents, who are deemed fit parents, off on an equal custody starting point. That means when there are no real issues then the kids get to see both parents equally. That disincentivizes fighting in family courts over small petty stuff because they will not need to fight for more time and instead will start off with equal time. Kids win and family court filings and domestic violence goes down. This unclogs the courts and allows the real important cases, such as those involving domestic violence and sexual assault, to get better attention and priority from judges.

The Texas Equal Parenting bill HB 803 will promote good parents getting along and equally sharing the children, while at the same time it will help decrease conflict and domestic violence, as we have seen in Kentucky. Kids win and courts get unclogged which will allow better focus on the important family court cases involving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Data from Kentucky Administrative Office of Courts Research and Statistics shows a sharp decline in family child custody cases (blue line) and domestic violence cases (red line) in 2020 following passage of the Equal Parenting bill.

Texas HB 803 Equal Parenting Bill Helps Kids, Has Bipartisan Support

 

Kids need both a mom and a dad equally, and the facts show that kids and society are hurting and suffering without equal parenting.

The Texas Equal Parenting Bill HB 803 has been filed! It will make the new standard possession order starting point equal possession and access in custody cases when a Judge determines both parents are joint managing conservators. When both parents are fit, the children should have a right to see them both equally as a starting point, and then go down from there with just cause. Kids win!

Unequal Parenting HARMS Children

The majority of teen crime, teen drug use, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, and even nearly all school shooters had unequal parenting homes. This crisis is harming children and society. Texas family law doesn’t have an equal starting point, and that incentivizes parents to fight in court over more time and use kids as pawns. Kids get hurt when parents fight instead of equally parenting. The family court starting point should be equal parenting when both parents are fit because this is best for the children. Kids have a right to have equal access to both fit parents.

Sixty peer-reviewed studies prove that it's best for kids when they spend equal time with both parents. Furthermore, not only do we know that equal parenting helps children, we unfortunately also know that unequal parenting harms children and society GREATLY.

All of these studies, facts, and more info about the benefits of equal parenting and the harm of unequal parenting, and especially fatherless homes, can be found at Equal Justice Task Force.

There is virtually no opposition to this bill. Last session the bill heard testimony from dozens of people in favor of it. Only a couple paid attorney lobbyists opposed it, I suppose because they might not make as much off of family court fighting if parents are getting along more and sharing the kids. Even the lobbyists agreed that equal parenting is important, but the lobbyists say there is already nearly equal time with both parents in the current law, so why change it? Fortunately, that sole argument against equal parenting doesn’t hold water anymore after last session when one state rep in committee eviscerated the idea that there is already equality in current law by showing the breakdown of the days and showing that under the current law, the standard possession order starts off at one parent getting most of the time and the other parent getting every other weekend. That is not equal parenting and it greatly harms children. The lobbyists went on to say that you could theoretically get equal parenting by getting a judge to order it, but even the lobbyists admitted that it would cost $50,000 for an attorney to take the case to trial to try to get equal custody. DO average families have 50k to get equal parenting? This unequal system is hurting society and hurting children and it incentivizes fighting and bickering in court to get more time. This new equal parenting law will make equal possession and access the NEW standard starting point in child custody cases when both parents are fit. This means a kid starts off at getting to see BOTH good parents equally as the starting point without having to fight for it. This will cut out lots of fighting in court and cut down on harm to children.

Under HB 803, a judge will still have discretion to go down from equal parenting based on written findings of issues that, for instance, if evidence shows it would harm the child’s health and mental wellbeing or if the parents live 1000 miles away. So equal parenting laws do not take away from a judge’s ability to make decisions in child custody cases based on evidence of issues that would support not having exactly equal parenting. What the law does is create the new STARTING point as equal custody when both parents are fit. Kids win! They won’t get fought over as much, and get to see both parents more equally.

Kentucky Equal Parenting Law PROVES it works! In fact, After Kentucky passed an equal parenting bill last session, the stats show that fighting in child custody courts went DOWN 11 percent already, and even domestic violence cases went down. There really is no reason not to have equal parenting as a new tool in the toolbox for family judges to be able to check off equal parenting as the starting point for kids and then go down from there with just cause. This is about helping the kids who are hurting and suffering. Let’s stand for our kids and get this law passed! The old law from half a century ago is just not working anymore and it is just no longer the best way. Equal parenting is the future!

The Equal Parenting Bill has BIPARTISAN support

In a time of so much divisiveness, Texas Democrats and Republicans agree that the Equal Parenting Law should pass. Let’s show America that both sides can come together this session and pass one of the most impactful laws of our time. LET IT GET TO A VOTE ON THE FLOOR.

Democrats and Women Activists Want Equal Parenting such as former Dem State Rep Gina Calanni, who fiercely stood up for the Equal Parenting Law in committee last session (where the bill was passed out of committee nearly unanimously by Dems and Reps). Leading Democrat women’s rights activists such as Emma Johnson with Mom’s for Share Parenting stand for equal parenting to bring more equal opportunity to women who could earn more but are often times held back with having to take most of the responsibility of raising children because of unequal parenting. Democrats widely support equal parenting.

Republicans Want Equal Parenting. In fact, the Texas Republican Party added equal parenting (equal possession and access for fit, willing and able parents) to their state platform, and equal parenting even came out of the convention committee as a top six Republican priority because equal parenting laws will help society and help preserve families for kids. Unequal parenting is hurting children and society. Kids need both parents equally as the new starting point in child custody cases and Republicans widely support this.

Equal Parenting Law can Help Stop Human Trafficking – Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott Announces Grace Week

---

Unequal Parenting contributes to Human Trafficking as 90 percent of homeless and runaway children are from unequal parenting homes. Texas must pass HB 803, the Equal Parenting Bill, which can greatly help reduce human trafficking.

Human Trafficking is a serious problem and I applaud Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott for taking a public stance on the issue. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott announced Governor Greg Abbott’s Response Against Child Exploitation (GRACE) initiative will host a statewide interfaith Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking from January 11-17. This coincides with Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

It is especially tragic that there are so many children involved in human trafficking. But how can that be? Where are their parents? Unfortunately, homeless and runaway children are easily swept up by human traffickers. NEARLY ALL (a whopping 90%) HOMELESS AND RUNAWAY CHILDREN ARE FROM UNEQUAL PARENTING HOMES according to the US D.H.H.S. and Bureau of the Census. See more equal parenting facts and statistics at Equal Justice Task Force.

Unfortunately, for a good portion of these children, we, the State of Texas, created this unequal parenting situation and this crisis. You see, the Texas Family Code does not have an option for equal parenting time and possession for fit parents after a breakup. The Texas Family Code only has a standard possession order in which one parent gets the majority of the time and the other parent gets pushed out and the child might only get to see the other parent every other weekend. That means when parents split, they will fight and bicker and tear their children apart trying to be the parent with more time and trying to shut the other parent out. The children suffer as a result, not only from the trauma, but from being separated from one of their parents.

Children have a right, and a need, to be equally involved with both of their parents as long as both parents are fit, willing, and able. Just because two parents break up does not mean that the children should have to break up with their parents.

Why are we hurting our kids like this? Why can’t we allow children to get to see both of their parents equally even though their parents break up? This unequal parenting affects both mothers and fathers. Many women have to pay big bucks to try to get to see their kids more than every other weekend if their husband has money for a big name lawyer. And for a vast majority of child custody cases, it is the father who has to pay big bucks and fight to see their kids and usually gets pushed out of the lives of children. This has created a fatherless crisis in America. The majority of all teen runaways, teen drug use, teen suicide, teen pregnancy, and teen crime all come from fatherless and unequal parenting homes. Both mothers and fathers are needed in a child’s life and development!

Texas must put an end to this crisis by passing the Texas Equal Parenting bill HB 803. This bill will make the new standard starting point Equal Parenting time and possession for parents deemed fit and granted joint managing conservators in child custody cases. That means a judge will first determine, as the law already requires, if one parent is not fit. If a parent is for instance convicted of abuse then the equal parenting starting point would not apply to them. However, as in most cases, if both parents are fit and granted joint managing conservators, them the new starting point would be equal custody and then a judge could then lower from equal custody with written findings and just cause. This equal starting point would stop much of the fighting in court that hurts our kids and keeps them away from their parents. This would unclog the court system and save taxpayers money. Kentucky passed an equal parenting law with almost unanimous consent last session and custody case filings and even domestic violence went DOWN tremendously in Kentucky within just a year. Parents would not have an incentive to fight and will just have to get along and share the child because that is what is in the best interest of the child. It’s about what the children need, not about what the parents want. This would even reduce the number of homeless and runaway children who get snatched up in human trafficking as 90 percent of runaway children come from an unequal parenting fatherless home. We have a crisis. Our kids are hurting and even dying at staggering numbers when they do not have both parents involved equally in their lives. We must stop allowing the Family Court to contribute to this crisis and empower the Family Courts to have equal parenting starting points in child custody cases. We need to pass Texas HB 803 Texas Equal Parenting bill.