Kids Need Both: Flick Leads Day of Hearings, Testimony and Advocacy for Shared Parenting Reform
HARRISBURG – On Thursday, Nov. 18, Rep. Jamie Flick (R-Lycoming/Union) hosted a milestone day for child custody reform in Pennsylvania.
Flick was joined by a large group of legislators, supporters, legal experts, family advocates, parents, grandparents and former lawmakers who support his bill,
House Bill 1499, which would ensure fairness in custody determinations and protect the rights of children to have equal access to both parents, provided they are willing and fit.
“This issue is very personal for me, as I have drawn from my own experience in family court, fighting for years for equal custody of my children in an unjust system,” Flick said. “I was so glad to be joined by supporters from across the country who understand the urgent need for reform. This is a family bill aimed at protecting children.”
The day started with a Policy Committee hearing, where testifiers included Teresa Sneed, founder, president and chief executive officer, National Family Justice; Hon. Tony Payton, former member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Greg Fellerman, founding partner, Fellerman and Ciarimboli Law; and Hon. Mica Wood Pence, 43rd Circuit judge, Barren and Metcalfe counties in Kentucky.
Pence traveled from Kentucky, where the state has adopted similar legislation. She spoke candidly about the initial hesitation of judges, lawyers and attorneys when the law was first introduced, noting that many feared it would complicate custody proceedings. However, she emphasized that the law has led to fewer courtroom battles and better outcomes for children.
“The problem in Kentucky is that we were making an assumption,” Pence said. “I was wrong to be as worried as I was that this law wasn’t going to work, but I am thankful Kentucky was on the cutting edge of this.”
Fellerman, who has been previously reluctant to share his custody struggles, became emotional as he recounted the moments he lost with his daughter because of a lack of 50/50 custody, moments he would never get back because she was tragically killed by a drunk driver.
“My custody order was 65/35 and it breaks down to a little more than a year, 13 months, 56 weeks, 401 days, 9,624 hours taken from me,” Fellerman said. “We need change to prevent this type of injustice from occurring. I want to commend Rep. Jamie Flick for all his hard work and dedication to solving this problem.”
Flick also took questions during a personal question-and-answer session where people from all over the Commonwealth shared their frustrations and hopes for reform.
To wrap up the day, Flick hosted a press conference on the steps of the Main Capitol Rotunda where those in attendance held signs that read “Kids Need Both.”
Robert Garza, the vice president of National Family Justice and a nationally recognized advocate for children and parental rights, spoke to show his strong support for House Bill 1499. Garza, who has helped draft legislation across the country, compared the growing movement for shared parenting reform to other major social justice efforts in American history.
“50/50 shared parenting impacts every man, woman and child,” Garza said. “This is the largest support group I have ever seen put together in support of 50/50 legislation. I think Pennsylvania could set the standard for what needs to happen.”
Mark Ludwig, executive director of the National Council for Equal Shared Parenting, has played a key role in advancing similar legislation in several states, including Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Florida and Missouri. He acknowledged that while Pennsylvania has been working toward shared parenting reform for years, he believes the Commonwealth is now poised to finally make it a reality.
“Now that we have so many states there seems to be a ripple effect where momentum is building,” Ludwig said. “At these events hosted by Rep. Flick, there were parents here today, not just dads. You also saw a lot of mothers, grandmothers and children who grew up without their dads. I have been in politics for 40 years and this is the only issue I’ve seen that crosses gender lines, racial lines, economic lines and really impacts everyone.”
House Bill 1499 has 32 co-sponsors, both Democrats and Republicans. It currently sits in the House Judiciary Committee.
Watch the full Policy Committee hearing here.
Watch the full press conference here.
Representative Jamie Flick
83rd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Andrew Forgotch
717.772.9905
aforgotch@pahousegop.com
RepFlick.com