Shared Parenting Bill Gets Another Push In North Dakota After Failure Of Measure 6 In 2014

North Dakota legislators are deliberating on a recently passed bill on shared parenting. Introduced by Rep. Tom Kading and endorsed by six representatives, the proposal seeks to amend the state's Measure 6 under the North Dakota Parental Rights Initiative, which covers equal parenting rights and responsibilities.

House Bill No. 1392 seeks to give divorced parents 50-50 custody rights over their children and matters or decisions concerning the kids. Currently, the law automatically grants mothers the sole custody of the children but the father is accorded visitation rights. The exemption of such a directive is recognized in joint custody agreements and other arrangements made by the divorced parents.

The proposed bill, however, has a precedent. Inforum cites that it looks like House Bill No. 1392 is a rehash of Measure 6.

North Dakota voters, however, rejected Measure 6 in 2014 with a voting margin of 62 percent versus 38 percent. Analysts and observers noted that Measure 6 failed to gather votes because it was about the best interest of the parents and not the children, and only lawyers would benefit.

Kading, however, disagrees that the new shared parenting bill is still Measure 6. Before passing his proposal, Kading and his team apparently looked into several studies on single parenting. They also talked with experts regarding the pros and cons of Measure 6, Valley News Live reports.

"We really strived to make this bill different than Measure 6 and tried to address the problems in Measure 6," the representative said, citing that the proposal is to help give the children of divorced parents a solid influence from both moms and dads. Kading is confident that House Bill No. 1392 will succeed in the legislature.

Family lawyer Jason McLean disagrees with the representative. He testified in the House's hearing regarding the bill in last Tuesday's deliberation.

"The heartbeat of this bill is exactly the same as the heartbeat of Measure 6," Mclean told Inforum. "The effects of this bill on North Dakota families could be catastrophic."