SB144 and proof that Fathers and Families do NOT support equal custody

 

Today I received a message from someone whom I have been assisting with various custody questions.  He inquired of Don Hubin of Ohio’s Fathers and Families as to why Fathers and Families did not support SB144.

The following is the reply that he received and then I will explain some things that will expose why Hubin’s comments are a bald-faced lie.

 

That is false.  Neither I nor Fathers and Families, has done *anything* to impede the progress of SB144.  Fathers and Families, as an organization has not taken a position on the bill.  I, personally, have never done anything to interfere with the progress of the bill.

Which senators have you spoken with who support SB144?   Have you asked these senators why they have not called for committee hearings on SB144?  And, which senators told you that I, or Fathers and Families, were "holding it up"?  What did they say that I, or Fathers and Families, had done to hold up the bill?  I would like to know so that I can contact them and ask them not to give out false information.  And, in doing so, I would like to be able to say that I heard from you, Michael, that they had said that I am "the one holding it up" so that they'll be able to evaluate the credibility of my source.  

And, by the way, in case in your haste to make your point, you missed my first paragraph in my first reply to you, here it is again:

"First, Facebook is not a good way to get in touch with me. I've had a Facebook page for years but don't check it regularly. If you're writing about issues related to divorce, custody, fathers' rights, and so forth, write to me at donhubin@fathersandfamilies.org."

Hubin and I were part of an organization years ago called Parents and Children for Equality.  He walked away and I continued the fight. Before the introduction of SB144, I let Don know as a courtesy that the bill would be introduced and sent him a copy of the wording of the legislation and asked for comments.

Below is a brief timeline that all of you should know.

 

·         October 2009 – Hubin was told that I had arranged for the legislation to be introduced and sent him a copy for comment. He never did.

·         March 2011 – SB144 introduced

·         He continued to lobby for the Fathers and Families changes even after the bill was introduced.

·         Hubin throws me and Roz out of an F&F meeting telling me that I cannot mention already introduced legislation.

·         I met with Senator LaRose, at which LaRose told me they were getting ready to write the bill.  I told the Senator that the legislation had already been written and introduced. He was shocked.  I revealed numerous things that I knew had happened in the Statehouse to LaRose and he confirmed. These were things that only an insider would know.

·         December 2011- LaRose meeting and Hubin throws several proposals on the table and then cannot support why his weaker language should be used.  He sat like a bump on the log saying nothing and explaining nothing about why his weaker language was better or should be included.

·         While the bill was introduced in committee and has sat because the Committee chair told a supporting Senator that he would not move forward “unless all interested parties (Us, F&F, Summit Dads) were in agreement”. While Summit Dads agreed to back off on his proposal after having everything thoroughly explained, F&F continued to not support the legislation. That meant that by not supporting or informing the committee that they had no opposition to it moving forward without amendment, Don did assure that SB144 would sit in committee to die.  He blocked it.

·         All he had to do was go to Skindell, LaRose, Eklund, and Burke and say “F&F supports SB144 and has no objects to the bill moving forward as introduced” and we would have been passed.  They were frustrated by his actions as should every parent in the state at this time.

·         BTW- Ned Holstein for F&F national told me that they did not support it because “They did not believe it could pass”.  I was also told that Don was told by his Ohio board members to support the bill and that he refused.

·         Word came from several representatives that Hubin was openly opposing the legislation in the House and this was confirmed to me by several aides.

 

Anyone who has doubts about what I am saying is more than welcome to come here and search my computer. Frankly, I have all the emails on my computer that prove what I am saying.  He was told several times to get on board or get out of the way. I have also raised the question with a man who claims to be a former board member as to whether or not they were told to lobby legislators for their proposals even though much stronger legislation had already been introduced.

 

So here I suggest that each of you send him a card of thanks telling him how much you appreciate what he has done to your families and children.  Don’t bother with emails as he has not responded to mine for over two years. Send it snail mail. Don’t sign your name, just send it and mark it as a very concerned parent. 

Don Hubin

69 N. Ohio Street

Columbus, Ohio  43203

 

Game on, and we will be back! Stronger than ever!!!

 

Some additional information on their “claims”

 

In a recent newsletter, they made claims about killing a recent child support bill in Ohio. False again.

Looks like we have yet another WTF moment for National Parents Organization, (formerly known as Fathers and Families).

I get their newsletter and lately, it has been nothing but continual begging for money. Today’s message was not different but good heavens please tell the truth about what you have done and don’t continually try to take credit for what others have done especially when state reports don’t back your words.

 

Today’s message:

We fight for shared parenting, reasonable child support policies, alimony reform, rights of disabled parents, rights of military parents, and both parents share in the financial responsibility for their children. We fight against paternity fraud, move aways, parental alienation, and inappropriate charges of domestic violence.

To give just one example, we quietly killed an Ohio bill that would have automatically raised child support orders when the Cost of Living Index increased even if your income did not increase by one point! And, dozen more like this one.
Give to bring justice to family law for our children.
Preserving the bond between parents and children,
Ned Holstein, MD, MS
Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors

P.S. You have made National Parents Organization the nation's foremost voice for shared parenting, family law reform, and gender equality in family law.

 

I think we need to teach reading to Ned and crew because his words do not match the report that was issued by the State of Ohio and the reason that they could NOT change the guidelines.

http://www.ohiofamilyrights.com/ChildSupport/2013csguidelinesadvcouncilreport.pdf

 

In the report, the Guidelines Council clearly states that they cannot recalculate new tables in Ohio until the issue of Medicaid expansion is resolved. They go on the state that it will take a new economic study before those tables can be created.

 

Now in this next link, you will see the report that I submitted to that same council where I presented several solutions as well as raised the issue of the effects of Medicaid expansion on the child support tables.

http://www.ohiofamilyrights.com/ChildSupport/ohio_family_rights_ohio_child_support_report_the_gorilla_in_the_room.htm

 

We all need to send a message to Ned and crew that if they intend to lie to fleece the parents of this country of funds, they need to make sure that they tell the truth in doing so. The constant barrage of lies from an organization that claims to be doing so much is unacceptable especially when the written record proves that they lie. It was bad enough that they blocked the last session’s equal custody legislation in Ohio while claiming to everyone that this is what they support but now they make further false claims of their work so that you think that they are working for you.

 

As an additional side note, we asked for copies of testimony presented to the Council. Nowhere was any member of NPO or F&F mentioned yet the report I wrote and submitted was recognized by the council and numerous members of the General Assembly.

 

So Ned and crew is this your real intent, to lie for money? Hate to tell you but the record proves your willingness to do just that.

 

 

Expanded Timeline and Comments

Those who think that there will ever be a joined front in the effort to change the custody laws of the states are greatly mistaken and need to wake up. You have not paid attention to the history of what has gone on for the past 15 years. While that sounds like a noble idea and I did work on it some years ago, I soon realized that many of what some consider top organizations are doing more harm than good by pressing for small changes and taking one step at a time.  All that has been done is prolong and continue the status quo while feeding the pocketbooks of those that claim they are leading organizations for “shared parenting”. The only thing that they are leading you to is a view of your grandchildren rocking their grandchildren on their knees before we get to what the last Ohio bill would have accomplished. 

 

The past couple of weeks have brought some interesting things to light as some information has come to me about the actions of a certain well-known “shared parenting organization”. Seems that a certain organization is now calling and demanding that other groups, that have no association with them, allow this organization to “vet” any legislation that is introduced before the independents have the bills introduced by their legislators. While it is my policy, as well as the policy of Ohio Family Rights, to work with others on equal custody legislation, this demand is a major step over the line.

I will tell you that members of that organization were allowed to see the last Ohio bill before its actual introduction, actual the bill was forwarded to our Legislative Select Committee in August 2011 for final language and the vetting that they needed to do. In October of that year, a courtesy copy was provided to all “shareholders” in Ohio by me. We received no comments back. When pressed for comment the only response received was “We don’t think it will pass.” No flaws were pointed out in the language or any of their perceived problems identified.

 

The bill was officially introduced in May of 2012 and still nothing.

After the introduction, Roz McAllister and I attended a meeting that they held in the Cleveland area. I was told that I was NOT to say a word about that bill. I called BS and was told to leave and was she.

The House version followed in June 2012 and still no identification of any problem by that organization.

Then word started going out about this organization that was holding meetings with legislators and how they were pressing for a presumption of equal custody. Duh! Ohio already has a presumption of equal custody and it has been in place since 1992. ORC 3109.401 (So they want to vet bills coming forth by others and can’t read what law is already in place.)

In October 2012 I ran into a Senator that I know and he informed me that they “were just getting ready to start writing the legislation”. He was informed that the bill had already been introduced.  He called for a stakeholder’s meeting.

In early December of 2012, that meeting was held.  At that meeting, all questions on the introduced bill were directed at me.  The meeting was attended by Summit Dads (they wanted specific language for never married), an Ohio Judge, Ohio Child Support, the National Organization for Parental Equality (now defunct and my former associates), the Ohio Fatherhood Commission, numerous representatives of legislators I was the stand-in for my primary sponsor) and Fathers and Families aka National Parents Organization.

NPO presented what they wanted and at each term, I asked them to explain why they wanted weaker language or redundant language added to Ohio law. They could not support their position.

The judge blew it when he claimed we needed a stronger evidentiary standard which was in the bill.

Summit Dads, well when you propose something that will affect the liberty interests of every parent by requiring every child born to an unmarried thru required DNA testing and that a child not be released from the hospital until testing was completed (would cost the state about $500 Million per year) that proposal was not well received.

 

Ohio Child Support (8 members present) put the egg on their faces when they admitted they did not read the bill and I then proceeded to explain to them how it did and that they already have signed off on the changes of an automatic deviation on child support based on time with the child.

Meeting notes for that meeting can be seen here, and it includes my notes before the meeting and comments to the Senator after the meeting.

http://www.ohiofamilyrights.com/larose_meeting_documents.htm

In December 2012 we were told to hash out the differences in what each wanted. Summit Dads saw the light and agreed that they would go nowhere.

F&F however still would not identify any problems and in the end, refused to call the Senator to say they had no problems with the bill moving forward without amendment. I offered to call for them, but they still refused.

Because of NPO/F&F, the bill died in committee. We found out later that they were lobbying against the bill and went so far as to ask a House primary sponsor to withdraw the bill.

I had worked for months with members of the Senate and House to gain support and sufficient votes were present in both chambers for passage with what was likely only a total of no more than 10 votes out of 132 against.  The Governor’s signature had already been personally secured.

So if you think that there will ever be co-operation guess again. The real problem and the real reason is organizations like NPO and ACFC (they remained silent and did not support the bill) have been sucking off the tit of donations for years and a bill that ends the problem ends them.

You have all been duped into thinking that they are helping.

 

With multiple comprehensive bills likely to be introduced after the first of the year, and likely more to come as the language is being completed now, do not stand in the way.