Lawmakers in Florida Senate have signed their support for a parenting bill aimed at establishing and streamlining arrangements between moms and dads. If the bill successfully receives votes to move forward, it will help parents, who are either unmarried, divorced or no longer together, come up with an agreed and proper child support and parenting time plan.
The bill aimed at eliminating the need to go to court for a custody battle. Sen. Jeff Brandes introduced SB 590: Child Support and Parenting Time Plans on Monday and in the coming weeks, it is expected that the bill will still undergo deliberation with the Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs, as well as the Senate floor.
Brandes patterned his bill based on the Office of Child Support Enforcement's Title IV-D. Stipulated in the bill were child support costs as monitored and mandated by the Department of Revenue, as well as parenting time for separated moms and dads. "The bottom line is that this bill is not just about money, it's about spending quality time with kids," Brandes said, per Florida Politics.
One senator, however, already voiced her opposition to the bill citing that such a blanket policy might not work as families have different situations. Some senators also wondered how the bill, should it become a law, will cover parents who live out of state or those who simply refuse to comply with the mandate. Brandes said, however, these details should be ironed out during the deliberation and he is confident his proposal will be a success.
The bill comes as a new study showed children who grow up equally between the two homes of separated parents cope better as adults. A dad's role in a child's life even in infancy was also deemed as equally important as the mom's role, as previously reported on Parent Herald.
