The Iowa General Assembly begins its session January 13, 2020 at 8:00 am.
FUAN will continue to add articles and other research resources to this page to add to your understanding of the bill.
Bookmark this page and check back often because the recommendations and bill language may change throughout the session.
This recommendation creates no legal change but provides a subconscious mindset that parents are not visitors to their own children.
The goal is to prevent marginalizing either parent from the duties and responsibilities of parenting in order to maintain disciplinary authority of the parent and rights of both child and parent.
Changing “Visitation time” to “Parenting time.”
Iowa code 598 and Iowa code 232.
This recommendation creates no legal change but provides a subconscious mindset that parents are not visitors to their own children.
The goal is to prevent marginalizing either parent from the duties and responsibilities of parenting in order to maintain disciplinary authority of the parent and rights of both child and parent. In time, we expect this subtle cultural change in mindsets to increase collaboration between custodial and noncustodial parents while also creating a new level of expected accountability of the role of parenting.
This bill seeks to change most references of “visitation” to “parenting time” within Iowa Code 598 and 232 with the exception of 232 p. 105 233.163 that deals with sibling and other relative visitations.
Further, “parenting time” shall be defined as the amount of time each custodial, non-custodial, collaborative parent spends with their child/children, and whenever possible complying with the “best interest of the child” definition through maximizing physical time with each parent unless a court determines that a child is at risk as outlined throughout the Iowa Code 598 and 232.
FUAN recommends the re-introduction of House File 583.
View the language of the bill HERE
All Language is subject to change
No parts or departments will be affected by this change
- Individuals,
- Family Members,
- Friends, and other community members that associate with those going through a custodial division,
- Local Churches,
- Homeless Shelters, or Other Service Agencies that deal with troubled youth or families in need.
The listing of the following people, organizations, state departments and offices in no way implies agreement or disapproval with the recommendations of FUAN. It is to simply acknowledge that in-person contact was made, and discussion relevant to our causes and concerns were addressed during those encounters.
Members of the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary Branches, ISBA, and Iowa Department of Human Services have been consulted which includes but is not limited to the following individuals:
President, Donald Trump
Iowa NAACP
Iowa ACLU
Dr. Linda Nelson
Charles Palmer Former Director DHS
Jerry Foxhoven Former Director DHS
Vern Armstrong DHS
Wendi Rickman DHS
President of “The Fatherless Generation, Dr. Torri Barton
Attorney Connie Reguli
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
Former Gov. of West Virginia, Garry Johnson
Former Congressman David Young
House of Representatives Oversight Committee
Representatives and members of the Supreme and District Courts
Diane Dornburg ISBA
Iowa Citizen For Justice
Forensic Psychologist – Attorney Demosthenes Lorandos
The Iowa Supreme Court
Iowa Fathers Association
Attorney, Jacob Van Cleaf
Attorney Kerry Finley
Attorney Daniel Herting
Former Representative Dan Kelly
Former Representative Ken Rizer
Former Representative Walt Rodgers
Senator Ted Cruz
Senator Rick Santorum
Senator Rand Paul
Senator Joni Ernst
Senator Charles (Chuck) Grassley
President of TERM- The Fathers Rights Movement, Thomas Fidler
TV host, John Harvey
Former Representative Chip Baltimore
Former Representative Clel Baudler
Former Representative Josh Byrnes
Former Representative Peter Cownie
Former Representative David Heaton
Former Representative Jake Highfill
Former Representative Kevin Keoster
Former Representative Sally Stutsman
Former Representative Rob Taylor
Former Representative Ralph Watts
Attorney Tom Feigen
Desmund Adams
Former Jimmy Carter Administration employee, Robert Krause
President of IFPP - Iowa Family Preservation Project,
Jeannine Eldrenkamp
L.E.A.P — Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Asian & Latino Coalition
Renaissance Center of Iowa
Family Leader
Sherry Palmer - PhD
Former Senator Mike Gronstal
Former Senator Todd Bowman
Senator Mark Castello
Former Senator Dick Dearden
Former Senator Jeff Danielson
Former Senator Rita Hart
Senator Kevin Kinney
Senator Matt McCoy
Former Senator Steve Sodders
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley
Missouri Gov. Nixon
Clive Police Lieutenant Mario Colman
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer
Congresswoman Cindy Axne
Nathaniel Gavronsky
Daniel Zeno ACLU
Dawn Turner district 2 Regional Supervisor
Gary Bucher Owner of Mid Iowa Occupational Testing
Harold Colman – Iowa Child Support Recovery Unit
Iowa Senators
Iowa Representatives:
As well as many other respected community leaders and organizations and residents all over the US, including:
Dr. Mark Roseman, Founder, and CEO of the Toby Center for Family Transitions
Leading Women for Shared Parenting
Americans for Equal Shared Parenting
Wisconsin Fathers For Children and Families
Mention of a name indicates that individual is supportive of the issue but not necessarily in agreement with the specific language proposed.
This recommendation has received an abundance of support. We will list just a few of the known organizations who support this.
• ISBA
• Leading Women For Shared Parenting
• National Parents Organization
• Americans For Equal Shared Parenting
• Iowa Family Preservation Project
• The Fathers Rights Movement-TFRM
• Fix Family Courts USA
• Family Court Reform USA
• Restoring Freedom USA
There is no known opposition to changing “Visitation time” to “Parenting time.”
Updated 2019.1015