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Child custody situations may change if law passes in Michigan

On Behalf of | Aug 29, 2017 | child custody |

A Michigan representative is lobbying for change regarding how much time parents get to spend with their children after divorce. A bill has been proposed that may change the face of child custody law throughout the state. Those supporting the bill say the current system basically pits parents against each other in a legal contest to prove which one spent more time with their kids during the marriage.

House Bill 4691 is set to change the way child custody is determined. In fact, in most situations, the court would presume that shared and equal parenting time is best. If the bill passes, most divorcing parents will be granted joint legal custody of their children and evenly divided allotments of parenting time.

Those who oppose the bill say it takes the focus off the children. The court always has children’s best interests in mind, but the current system does not presume that equal parenting time is always best. One child advocate who does not wish to see the bill pass said a parent’s supposed right to equal time with his or her children should not replace what may or may not be best for that child in a particular situation.

So far, House Bill 461 has been passed by members of the House Judiciary Committee. Whether it will become a new child custody law in Michigan remains to be seen. In the meantime, any parent facing legal problems regarding an existing custody agreement or any other divorce-related challenge may seek counsel from an experienced family law attorney to determine how best to proceed to rectify the situation.

Source: mlive.com, “Michigan parents could get more joint custody, shared parenting time under House bill“, Emily Lawler, Aug. 27, 2017

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