ND is looking at shared parenting, and changing support laws, etc. very interesting.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/15107855.htm
FAMILY INITIATIVE: North Dakota is not alone
By Kyle Johnson
Herald Staff Writer
North Dakota is not alone in the fight for shared parenting, the executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children said.
Michael McCormick said 17 other states are in some form of considering the move to shared parenting, although in most cases, this involves lobbying the state legislature.
Two ballot initiatives are being circulated for signatures now in North Dakota, and both could be up for a vote on the November ballot this year.
"We see the country moving in this direction," McCormick said. "But the movement in North Dakota is leading-edge, and I think passing it will enhance the efforts elsewhere."
Any person eligible to vote in North Dakota can lead a ballot measure drive. To place a referendum or initiative on the ballot, 12,844 signatures are required, and 25,688 signatures are needed to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
This process was created to allow more openness in government, and is considered "very easy" to get things on the ballot, said Mitchell Sanderson, North Dakota representative for McCormick's coalition.
The coalition supports Sanderson's Shared Parenting Initiative, which is likely to gather enough signatures for ballot placement this year. The Family Law Reform Initiative, which addresses shared parenting in addition to domestic violence, divorce, child support and prenuptial agreements, is more likely to be on the 2008 ballot.
"This is going to be a huge pressure on the Legislature to get something done here," Sanderson said. "This is an issue in all 50 states, and if North Dakota gets this thing through, other states are going to be up in arms."
McCormick said the initiative is garnering national attention, something he has noticed from his native Washington, D.C.
And that attention is spreading here. National news networks have been calling Sanderson, he said, and people from all over the country are watching what happens very closely.
"I've heard from a number of people that would love to flood their legislature with letters of support if it passes in North Dakota," McCormick said.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/15107855.htm
FAMILY INITIATIVE: North Dakota is not alone
By Kyle Johnson
Herald Staff Writer
North Dakota is not alone in the fight for shared parenting, the executive director of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children said.
Michael McCormick said 17 other states are in some form of considering the move to shared parenting, although in most cases, this involves lobbying the state legislature.
Two ballot initiatives are being circulated for signatures now in North Dakota, and both could be up for a vote on the November ballot this year.
"We see the country moving in this direction," McCormick said. "But the movement in North Dakota is leading-edge, and I think passing it will enhance the efforts elsewhere."
Any person eligible to vote in North Dakota can lead a ballot measure drive. To place a referendum or initiative on the ballot, 12,844 signatures are required, and 25,688 signatures are needed to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
This process was created to allow more openness in government, and is considered "very easy" to get things on the ballot, said Mitchell Sanderson, North Dakota representative for McCormick's coalition.
The coalition supports Sanderson's Shared Parenting Initiative, which is likely to gather enough signatures for ballot placement this year. The Family Law Reform Initiative, which addresses shared parenting in addition to domestic violence, divorce, child support and prenuptial agreements, is more likely to be on the 2008 ballot.
"This is going to be a huge pressure on the Legislature to get something done here," Sanderson said. "This is an issue in all 50 states, and if North Dakota gets this thing through, other states are going to be up in arms."
McCormick said the initiative is garnering national attention, something he has noticed from his native Washington, D.C.
And that attention is spreading here. National news networks have been calling Sanderson, he said, and people from all over the country are watching what happens very closely.
"I've heard from a number of people that would love to flood their legislature with letters of support if it passes in North Dakota," McCormick said.
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