4-13-12

HASC Members Join Fight for Military Child Custody Protections

Congressmen Mike Turner (Ohio) and Rob Andrews (N.J.) issued a letter to Defense Secretary (SecDef) Leon Panetta, requesting his support in the fight to protect the child custody rights of our men and women in uniform. The lawmakers were joined by every member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) in supporting the request.

The “Servicemember Family Protection Act” (H.R. 4201), sponsored by Turner and Andrews, would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by protecting child custody arrangements for parents who are deployed in support of a contingency operation. If a motion to change a child’s custody arrangement is filed while a parent is deployed, no court may modify the existing custody judgment, except if there is clear and convincing evidence that it is in the best interest of the child. The bill also prohibits any court from considering a member's past or future absences due to deployments in determining child custody disputes. Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center to contact their representative on this important issue.