National Parents Organization of Utah

10/08/2021

This is an important piece of legislation. It may be merely a baby step in the right direction, but it’s a step, nevertheless.

On July 27, by a voice vote, the Senate took action to address a long-standing problem in the child support system. Senate Bill 503 PARENTS Act of 2021, sponsored by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) expands the use of federal incentive

03/22/2021

We are happy to announce that Governor Cox just signed SB122, which specifically states that equal custody is an option from which courts can choose. Thank you Governor Cox!

And thank you to all who worked together to make this bill possible. We had a great team!

03/05/2021

National Parents Organization of Utah is proud to announce that the legislature just passed our priority bill for 2021, SB122. This bill establishes equal custody as an option the court may choose to award parents.

While we are disappointed that fourth substitute is not our original bill, which would have established a rebuttable presumption of equal custody, we are grateful that we were able to reach a compromise that still “moves the needle” in the right direction.

Thank you to senators Anderegg and Weiler, and Representative Lisonbee for working with us to make this happen. And thank you to our phenomenal team of volunteers and donors!

This legislation will benefit children and families in our state, as well as all Utahns.

02/08/2021

Divorced men are almost ten times more likely to commit su***de than divorced women. It is strongly associated with losing access to their children and their role as parents being minimized by courts.

02/05/2021

Children and teens in sole custody situations are twice as likely to commit su***de than those in shared custody.

02/03/2021

Just as loving two-parent (biological or adoptive) homes are best for children, an equal split where children enjoy both nurturing parents who do not live together is typically the second-best option.

02/01/2021

The positive effects of shared custody are causal, not associative. Shared custody provides better outcomes for children, on average.

01/31/2021

Ok, we know it’s short notice, but we are planning a Facebook live tonight, with our very own Dan Deuel, Chairman of Legislative Affairs. It should be 15-20 minutes long, and will explain why SB122, a presumption of equal custody, is best for children and families, on average.

01/30/2021

We are toying with the idea of hosting a Facebook Live video about SB122 - the equal custody legislation. How many would be interested? It would be 15-20 minutes long and include exciting results of an independent poll we conducted on what Utahns think about starting from equal custody.

Preview: The overwhelming majority of Utahns support what this bill does.