Single Mother Kim Klacik supports TX Equal Parenting Bill to help Kids & Moms HB3379 & SB1702

see article online at www.texasgopvote.com/family/single-mother-kim-klacik-supports-texas-equal-parenting-bill-help-kids-and-moms-0015106

On April 19, 2023, Kimberly Klacik walked the halls of the Texas State Capitol. Much like her famous congressional campaign commercial where she walked the streets of Baltimore to take a stand against crime and societal ills, Kim came to walk the halls of the Texas Legislature to take a stand to help kids and society and mothers by fighting for equal parenting. Kim has seen how unequal parenting and fatherlessness has so drastically harmed kids and society in Baltimore. She knows that the majority of teen crime, school dropouts, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, and teen drug use, all come from unequal parenting homes and specifically homes where the child does not have both an equally involved father and mother. As a single mother she knows how unequal parenting harms women and puts them at a disadvantage.

When Kim heard about Texas Equal Parenting bill HB 3379 and how it has 27 bipartisan co-authors, she wanted to come to Texas to help shine a light on the need for equal parenting, and to advocate in favor of the bill.

Just like in Baltimore, Kimberly made waves in Texas too. As a black single mother advocating for equal parenting, she completely undercut the arguments of those few lobbyists who oppose equal parenting. The majority of men AND women in Texas and In America support equal parenting. The opposition of equal parenting are the Texas family law foundation lobbyists who oppose equal parenting because it will reduce conflict in court child custody battles, which leads to less money for attorneys. This has been proven in other states like Arkansas and Kentucky where court conflict has decreased following the passage of equal parenting bills. These lobbyists like to use a ridiculous argument of equal parenting only being supported by men who want to oppose women. That is why it was such a big deal to have Kim, a single mother, and the several other women, come walk the halls of the Texas Capitol last week in favor of equal parenting. Kim showed that the lobbyists are wrong. The majority of woman in fact do support equal parenting and they want their voice to be heard in support of equal parenting.

As a single mother, she knows first hand how vital the involvement of a father is for the lives of children, and how important equal parenting is for bringing equality to woman and helping single mothers.

Don’t take our word for it though, watch the following short video interview and hear from Kim Klacik herself:

Click Here to watch Video Interview with Kimberly Klacik on how Texas Equal Parenting Bills will help Kids and Moms

In the video, David Bellow interviews Kimberly Klacik, a single mother who came to Texas (from Baltimore, Maryland) to support the Texas Equal Parenting bills HB 3379 and SB 1702. Kimberly talks about how these bills will greatly help society because everyone benefits when kids have equal access to both fit and loving parents after the parents break up. Specifically, equal parenting will combat fatherlessness, help kids who are greatly harmed by unequal parenting, and help single mothers.

While at the Texas Capitol, Kim Klacik met with, or got to express thanks to, many State Representatives and State Senators who support equal parenting laws, including Senator Bryan Hughes, Representative David Cook, Representative Caroline Harris, Senator Angela Paxton, and Senator Mayes Middleton.

Harold Dutton, the Chairman of the Texas Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, will decide if he will listen to the people of Texas and the 27 co-authors by allowing the bill to get a hearing and a vote, or he will decide if he wants to ignore the people and kill the bill that could help millions of lives in Texas. This issue deserves a hearing and a vote.

What is Equal Parenting and what are Equal Parenting laws?

With Equal Parenting Laws, kids in Texas would start off in court custody cases with a check box of equal time and possession with both mom AND dad, as long as they are both fit, willing, and able. This helps the kids by preserving their right to a loving relationship with both parents as the starting point when fit parents break up, as well as cuts down unnecessary court fighting over custody, when both parents are fit, willing, and able.

There is no risk to children as equal parenting would only be applicable in cases where both parents are fit and there is no domestic violence or child abuse (which the majority of child custody cases involve fit parents who just want to bicker in court fighting over who gets more time with the children instead of sharing the children). A judge would still have the ability to deviate from the equal parenting starting point based on just cause to justify deviation. Equal parenting laws are a vital issue that can help kids and unclog courts and also benefit society as a whole!

More info on equal shared parenting from David Bellow can be found at: www.EqualJusticeTaskForce.com

TX Equal Parenting HB3379 will Help Millions of Kids Harmed in Custody Battles

Call Chairman Harold Dutton and ask him to set a timely hearing for the Texas Equal Parenting Bill. Millions of kids and dozens of Texas Representative coauthors deserve for this bill to get a fair vote instead of being killed in committee.

Texas House Bill HB 3379 and SB1702 (Equal Parenting/Equal Responsibility) will lower court conflict and help fit, willing, and able parents more easily get equal time with their kids without having to spend thousands of dollars in bitter court fights. However, The BIGGEST thing Equal Parenting bills will do is Help Millions of Kids who are Hurting. There is no denying that one of the greatest issues we face as society is a nation without fathers, which Hurts Kids. The Stats and Facts of the negative effects of unequal parenting and fatherlessness is shocking and heart wrenching and we MUST help our kids NOW!

Kids Need Both and Mother and a Father in their lives EQUALLY. The Facts show that Kids and Hurting and Dying due to Unequal Parenting and Fatherlessness

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (National Principals Association Report)

-          Father Factor in Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Researchers at Columbia University found that children living in two-parent household with a poor relationship with their father are 68% more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs compared to all teens in two-parent households.

-          70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)

-          85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)

-          Father Factor in Incarceration – Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households.

-          Father Factor in Crime – A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family structure significantly predicts delinquency. Adolescents, particularly boys, in single-parent families were at higher risk of status, property and person delinquencies. Moreover, students attending schools with a high proportion of children of single parents are also at risk. A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father. Forty-two percent grew up in a single-mother household and sixteen percent lived with neither parent

-          Father Factor in Child Abuse – Compared to living with both parents, living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional, or educational neglect. The overall rate of child abuse and neglect in single-parent households is 27.3 children per 1,000, whereas the rate of overall maltreatment in two-parent households is 15.5 per 1,000.

-          Daughters of single parents without a Father involved are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 711% more likely to have children as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a pre-marital birth and 92% more likely to get divorced themselves.

Unequal Parenting has DEVASTATED & HARMED Children – We must pass Texas HB 3379 & SB1702

The majority of teen crime, teen drug use, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, Teen School Dropouts, 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. The current family law of unequal standard possession order 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 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. The science and medical professionals and university studies all agree kids need equal parenting. Furthermore, not only do we know that equal parenting helps children, we unfortunately also know that unequal parenting harms children and society GREATLY.

Kids Need Both a Mom and a Dad Equally, and the facts show that Kids and Society are hurting and suffering without equal parenting and due to Fatherlessness.

The Texas Equal Parenting Bill HB 3379 and SB 1702 will make the new standard possession order starting point be equal possession and access in custody cases where a Judge has determined 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 a Judge still has the discretion to go down from there with just cause. Kids win! Less Court Conflict!

The unequal parenting 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 of 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 3379 and SB 1702, 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, etc. So Equal Parenting Laws do not take away from a Judge’s ability to still make decisions in child custody cases based on evidence of issues that would support not having exactly equal parenting.

All these studies, facts, and more info about the benefits of Equal Parenting and the harm of unequal parenting, can be found at www.EqualJusticeTaskForce.com