| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
< BACK TO ARCHIVE |
| Date: From: Subject: | 2/12/2013 10:33:22 AM Tj Schmidt--HSLDA Indiana: Grandparent Visitation Bill to be Heard in Committee--Calls Needed! |
|
====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Indiana: Grandparent Visitation Bill to be Heard in Committee--Calls Needed! Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Wednesday morning the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee will hear Senate Bill 171. This bill adds great-grandparents to the current grandparent visitation statute in Indiana. While HSLDA is not opposed to this, we are concerned that Senate Bill 171 will dramatically broaden the situations in which a relative can petition the court for visitation. Senate Bill 171 would allow a great-grandparent or grandparent to request visitation rights whenever the parent terminated the child's visits after the great-grandparent/grandparent "has had meaningful contact with the child." Thus, two happily married parents who determined after careful consideration that they need to terminate contact with great-grandparents and/or grandparents for a time could find themselves ordered by a court to allow the great-grandparents/grandparents visitation under this bill. Under current law grandparents can petition a court for visitation rights only if one of the child's parent is deceased, the marriage of the child's parents has been dissolved in Indiana, or when a child was born out of wedlock. If Senate Bill 171 passes and a petition is filed, a court would then determine whether it was in the best interest of the child for visitation based upon a number of different factors. While the wishes of the parent would be one factor the court would consider, there is no presumption that a fit parent makes decisions in the best interest of his or her child. Under this bill, the court could ultimately decide to overrule the parent's decision. Senate Bill 171 should be strongly opposed as an attack on parental rights. Senate Bill 171 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 13 at 10 a.m. We need your calls now. Please immediately contact the committee members listed below and urge them to defeat this bill. ACTION REQUESTED: 1) Please call and email the House Judiciary Committee members listed below and give them this message in your own words: "Please oppose Senate Bill 171. This bill interferes with parents' fundamental right to direct the care, custody, and control of their children. No person, even grandparents or great-grandparents, should be able to petition for visitation rights against the will of a fit parent. This bill should also be opposed because it will allow courts to determine visitation in situations where a family is still intact, jeopardizing family integrity. Please ensure that Senate Bill 171 is defeated." Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler; instead you can identify yourself as a concerned parent and taxpayer. Senate Judiciary Committee Members (All members have same switchboard number so you may want to try their legislative assistant.) Sen. Brent Steele- Chairman (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9814 Email: Senator.Steele@iga.in.gov Sen. Mike Delph (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9488 (shares assistant with Sen. Head) Email: Senator.Delph@iga.in.gov Sen. Doug Eckerty (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9466 Email: Senator.Eckerty@iga.in.gov Sen. Susan Glick (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9493 Email: Senator.Glick@iga.in.gov Sen. Randy Head (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or 317-232-9400 Legislative Assistant: 317-232-9488 (shares assistant with Sen. Delph) Email: Senator.Head@iga.in.gov Sen. Michael Young (R) Phone: 1- 800-382-9467 or 317-232-9476 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9517 Email: Senator.Young@iga.in.gov Sen. Joseph Zakas (R) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9490 Email: Senator.Zakas@iga.in.gov Sen. Lonnie Randolph (D) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9532 Email: Senator.Randolph@iga.in.gov Sen. Lindel Hume (D) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232-9523 (shares assistant with Sen. Broden) Email: Senator.Hume@iga.in.gov Sen. John Broden (D) Phone: 1-800-382-9467 or (317) 232-9400 Legislative Assistant: (317) 232.9523 (shares assistant with Sen. Hume) Email: Senator.Broden@iga.in.gov BACKGROUND: Over the years, HSLDA has represented hundreds of member families in conflict with grandparents and other relatives who did not like homeschooling. These relatives would occasionally try to stop the homeschooling through various means, including turning the family over to child welfare services. Thankfully, most grandparents we come in contact with at HSLDA support homeschooling and in some situations even participate in the teaching. Senate Bill 171 will allow grandparents or great-grandparents to sue the parent for visitation if they had meaningful contact with the child and their contact with the child has been prohibited. If this bill becomes law, a person could petition the court for visitation rights even when both parents are together. The bill does not limit visitation to situations when there is a pending dissolution, legal separation, or modification of a parenting plan proceeding as many other states do. On the surface this bill appears to protect parents' rights by including the parent's wishes in the court's decisions, but there is no requirement that the court must find that the decision of a fit parent is presumed to be in the child's best interest. HLSDA is opposed to Senate Bill 171 as it will restrict the fundamental right of parents to direct the care, custody, and control of their child. Please call now and urge both the Judiciary Committee members and your state senator to oppose Senate Bill 171. If you are not yet a member of HSLDA and would like to help us fight for greater homeschool freedom in Indiana please visit http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17169 If you would like to be put on our free email list to receive vital e-lerts you may sign up at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=17170 . Thank you for your part in fighting for parental freedom in Indiana. Sincerely, Tj Schmidt HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can get a little latte or a lotta legal. With our new payment options, you can join HSLDA for as little as $10/month, less than the price of a cup of coffee a week. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, Virginia 20134 Phone: (540) 338-5600 Fax: (540) 338-2733 Email: info@hslda.org Web: http://www.hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Subscribe: - Subscribe to the HSLDA E-lert Service at our website: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp?Process=Subscribe - Or send an email with name and complete mailing address to: subscribe@hslda.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscription Information: - You subscribed to the HSLDA E-lert Service as: ##ToAddress## - To unsubscribe from the HSLDA E-lert Service send an email from the email address you want to unsubscribe to: unsubscribe@hslda.org - To change your email address or make other changes to your subscription, visit the HSLDA E-lert Service account web page at: https://secure.hslda.org/hslda/elert/account.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTMASTERS: This message is being sent to the most recent address we have for our subscribers. If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
