Child custody, visitation, and support cases; referral to mediation for appropriate cases. (SB1019)

Introduced By

Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke) with support from co-patron Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Referral to mediation in child custody, visitation, and support cases; appropriate cases. Requires a court, in assessing whether a case regarding child custody, visitation, or support is appropriate for referral to mediation, to consider whether such case can be heard by the court within 120 days of the filing of an initial petition. The bill provides that if a case cannot be heard by the court within 120 days and is otherwise deemed appropriate for referral, such case shall be referred. Read the Bill »

Status

01/21/2019: passed committee

History

DateAction
09/17/2018Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/19 19100426D
09/17/2018Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/21/2019Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 2-N) (see vote tally)
01/21/2019Committee substitute printed 19105300D-S1
01/22/2019Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/23/2019Passed by for the day
01/24/2019Stricken from Senate calendar (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)

Comments

Kathy Pendergraph writes:

If it were not for the fact that there is at least one mediator listed who is unfit and not allowed to practice law, this would be acceptable. As it stands, it is simply yet another avenue for unsuspecting families to be routed into an often harmful system. Why not rid the system of the sub par GAL’s and judges so that the families are served properly? I know of at least one very harmful GAL who has simply been moved from the GAL list to the mediator list. That is not an acceptable solution to a terrible problem.