U.S. Rep. Mike Turner wants to protect military men and women who are asked to put their lives on hold to fight for this county. His new bill, HR 4469, offers protection to deployed military members in regards to child custody.

As the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act stands now, it does little to protect deployed service members in child custody cases once they return home. Too often single parents in the military scheduled to deploy are asked to drop everything and quickly get their personal effects in order. When children are involved, temporary custody arrangements are made with the other parent while the service member is deployed overseas. The problem occurs when the military parent returns home from deployment, only to find their ex wont relinquish custody of the children.

Turner believes it’s unfair for one branch of the government to ask these parents to risk their lives and fight for their country, while at the same time another branch of the government punishes them for their service. It’s this injustice that prompted Turner to draft the legislation. Under the terms of his bill, the courts would be prohibited from using a deployment or the possibility of deployment against a military parent when determining the child’s best interest in a custody case. The bill also states that any temporary custody arrangements made while the military member is overseas are to be reversed once the parent returns home from deployment.

Turner’s message is clear: military parents should not lose custody of their children because of their service to their country. If you have found yourself fighting for custody of your children after a military deployment, please take a moment to contact a Riverside child custody lawyer at the Law Office of Michael R. Young. We can represent you during your custody hearings and aggressively fight to have your custody rights restored. Call (866) 902-5290 to schedule an appointment today!