Questions for Sponsors
In regards to the “Judge’s Bill”
1. You claim you talked to parents. Who did you talk with?
2. What judges did you talk with?
3. Do you understand that Ohio is a tripartite government?
4. Why do you support a bill that gives full discretion to judges over not only those who are involved with divorce or custody issues but the intact families of Ohio as well?
5. Why do you think Ohio should no longer follow FERPA?
6. Will there be a filing to withdraw Ohio from the UCJEEA Compact?
7. How will schools get their property taxes under this bill?
8. How will those in need get their welfare benefits?
9. Why do you support allowing a judge to terminate a parent’s right based on discretion?
10. While you testified that the use of “designated” instead of the current “residential” will reduce conflict, it will not as designated is more authoritative and indicates that one parent has more power than the other. How do you justify this change? Makes it appear that a single person is solely responsible for all decisions concerning a child.
11. Please explain how a parent is expected to write a “parenting plan” that covers all levels of “development” when all children develop at a different rate.
12. Have you, as a sponsor, revealed how much extra business your law firms will get with the passage of this bill? This is a conflict of interest that should be publicly revealed and explained.
13. With every other state using “residential parent” have you considered how the use of “designated” parent will affect cases where there are parents in two states?
14. Why are you using a 2005 Task Force Report to support your bill? That report is 20 years old and out of date. BTW - I have read that report and it does not make the recommendations that you included in this bill.
15. Why do you think it is a good idea that a never-married father will not be allowed to file for custody of their children in Ohio? Do you realize that that clause alone thumbs its nose at years of fundamental rights case law and makes this bill unconstitutional?
16. Why do you think it is a good idea for judges to have the discretion to order a minor to go through transgender modification even if the parents or the child do not want it?
17. With “shared parenting” having been made part of Ohio law in the 1980s, why do you think it should now be removed?
18. Why are you showing such disrespect to our military? Ohio was an early adopter of providing specific rights to deployed and active-duty military and this sets those back to less than what was done with the original bill. BTW – The original bill was done because a divorced judge would not allow his new family to see the father’s children from his marriage to her.
19. Why do you think it is good for total strangers to be able to file for custody of a minor child?
20. Why doesn’t this bill address the bias of GALs?
21. Why doesn’t this bill address the bias of judges? They have admitted it exists in testimony on other bills.
22. If judges intend to testify on this bill, will you and the committee chairman be insisting that all procedures be followed as specified by the Revised Code?
23. Will members of the committee be filing disciplinary complaints with the Ohio Supreme Court? That precedence was set when a former legislator, now judge testified on a bill. It is your duty to do so especially if you are an attorney.
24. Did you read your own bill before introducing it so you could understand the cause and effect of what it does?
25. Have you considered the extreme increase in costs that will be incurred by the state, counties, and the families involved? LSC does not consider all costs.
Legislative Director
440-281-5478
legislation@ohiofamilyrights.com
