Proposed Bill would allow 14 year olds to choose custodial parent
As expected, a proposed bill has been pre-filed with the Alabama Legistalture which would, with certain limited exceptions, allow a child who is 14 years of age or older to designate which of their parents would have custody. The bill is House Bill 26 and it can be found at this link.
This bill would obviously mark a major change in family law in Alabama, and I predict it would set off an avalanche of new custody modification petitions. If you have an interest regarding the outcome of this legislation, I urge you to contact your local state legislators and voice your opinion.
Thanks for the information. Is there anything that can be done to encourage this, like phone calls or emails?
Thank you,
Kristy
This kind of legislation needs to be carefully worded for it to achieve the desired goal of protecting the minor in a child custody hearing.