If you’ve been considering getting a divorce or are getting one now and have children, you may be worried about how custody and visitation time will work out for your situation. If Colorado’s new law is approved, parents in this situation could soon see themselves with equal time with their children.
The bill, called the 50/50 parenting bill or better known as Colorado Senate Bill 15-129 to politicians, recognizes parenting rights as fundamental and provides the ability for each parent to have equal time with his or her children. While some believe this would prevent parents from losing too much time with their children, there are also opponents to the law. Some believe that the law could put children at risk of being placed back in the care of an abuser or violent situation.
One man has written a plea to the lawmakers urging them to stop this law from passing, because he was abused every time he had visitation with his father. He’s not alone. The Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence also agrees that the bill could make a gray area in court that could put children at risk. The standard now, which is to do what’s best for the child, could be altered with this bill.
Those who want the bill to pass have said that the legislation could force judges to write down the reasons for their decisions, effectively helping those who may have parenting time restricted due to bias or other issues. This bill has not yet passed, but a public hearing held will be discussing the impact the bill could have.
Source: KDVR, “Bill would give parents going through divorce equal time with their kids,” Chris Jose, April. 14, 2015