Missouri State Senate
Interim Joint Committee on Family Law
The committee shall analyze and study the following issues:
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Custody - Current law regarding custody and visitation rights and recommendations
for changes in the substantive and procedural law relating to those issues,
particularly addressing joint custody, custody prior to a dissolution hearing,
and relocations by custodial parents.
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Child Support - Whether the child support guidelines and the court should
be required to take into account the reasonable expenses associated with
exercising the particular physical and legal custody arrangements, as well
as the expenses associated with "second" families.
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Enforcement
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Possible procedures allowing a parent with an existing custody or visitation
order to have easy, quick and inexpensive court access or other hearing
process to seek enforcement or contempt; and
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Possible laws including loss of license, fines, criminal penalties, loss
of custodial rights or other appropriate sanctions if a parent, without
good cause, denies, withholds or interferes with the other parent's physical
custody or visitation rights.
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Attorney fees - Who should pay and from what source.
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Any other relevant issue the committee desires to study.
While studying the above-detailed issues, the committee should endeavor
to keep in mind two broad themes. First, a presumption should exist
that a child's best interests and ultimate well-being fundamentally hinges
upon frequent, continuing and meaningful contact with both parents as well
as sufficient financial resources. Second, custody and visitation
orders should be enforced by the courts and law enforcement officials as
vigorously and thoroughly as child support orders.
The committee should endeavor to seek input from parents, judges, attorneys,
child psychiatrists and/or psychologists, mediators and other professionals
involved in the court decision process made in family law.
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