| Center for Parental Responsibility P.O. Box 130776 Roseville, MN 55113 |
| Voicemail: (651) 490-9277 info@cpr-mn.org |
CPR supports no single political party. Family law reform is a non-partisan issue. As Rick Warren said "I'm not right wing or left wing; I'm for the whole bird. A bird with one wing just flies in circles." (CNN April 7, 2007)
As a non-profit, CPR cannot and does not endorse any candidate or party.
CPR serves a constituency of affected citizens of at least 1.5 million Minnesotans
(250,000 non custodial parents, plus their children, grandparents, second spouses,
and at least a couple extended and affected family members) who understand and have
personally experienced the bias outcomes and damaging effects of current family court
practices and the related Title IV-D services provided by the county
Title IV-D agency, as unfair custody and unrealistic child support outcomes violate
the true best interests of children. The CPR constituency is a huge voting base who
cross party lines as is consistent with the total population. All parties have candidates
and elected officials who support our efforts, and all parties have elected officials
who by their actions or lack of actions have displayed they are against our efforts.
CPR will provide educational information on the issues to any candidate from any party
who is interested in understanding the problems and supporting the solutions. Candidates
interested in educational information on these issues can email CPR at info@cpr-mn.org.
Please be specific with your questions.
Legislative News The future of
our children and families is in jeopardy, and the
remedy for change rests on the
shoulders of citizens and your ability and
willingness to citizen-lobby. CPR has no paid lobbyists, and does not
provide financial resources to lobby for legislative change. However, UNPAID WOLUNTEERS
who have mobilized themselves are committed to working together to
educate our elected officials regarding the
real-life application and negative impact of current family law, and
provide proposals for new laws that will
make family law more equitable. The power to
change family law/domestic relations law lies with our state and federal
legislators. The changes that
are needed in family law and family court will occur in direct proportion to the
number of unpaid VOLUNTEERS willing to make reform a priority and take initiative
over the long haul learning about the issues, understanding what you can do,
and commit consistent volunteeer time taking on specific projects and see them
through. Most all
informed citizens, family law professionals, legislators, and the like, agree
that family law is very “broken” and must
be “fixed.” However, the squeaky wheel will get the grease. Citizen inaction
results in legislative inaction or bias action based on one-sided activism, and
the family law problems not only persist, but the devastation can grow
exponentially with bad law. Legislators are only as good as their constituents
demand them to be – that is the democratic process. Remember, they represent
YOU! Family Law Studies, Task Forces, and Final Reports
Minnesota Supreme Court Parental Cooperation Task Force
Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Task Force on Visitation and Child Support Enforcement
Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Task Force on Visitation and Child Support Enforcement
The following
materials can help you as you try make a difference: Letters to Send to your Legislator
August 2004 - Leadership Means
Tough Decisions
April 2004 - The
Ship Is Sinking
March 2004 - What
does DHS Commissioner Kevin Goodno say?
February 2004 - Welfare to the
Affluent. Why?
January 2004 - What Does the U.S.
Congress Say?
November 2003 - Responsible Citizens
Agree
October 2003 - IV-D Eligibility;
What is it?
September 2003 - Why Does MN DHS
Mislead the Public?
FINAL REPORT, January 14, 2000.
FINAL REPORT, January 27, 1997.
FINAL REPORT - MINORITY REPORT, January 27, 1997, see p.31-49.
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DISCLAIMER: The viewing of material from this site, the exchange of mail, and/or other communications with CPR does not constitute legal advice. CPR makes no representation or warranty regarding the resources or other professionals to which or from which this site is linked. The information at this site is provided as educational public service. However, it may not be relevant to your situation and is not intended to replace a thorough and proper consultation with a competent and experienced attorney.
LEN (Legislative Education Notice)
These are short 1-2 page FORM letters for your legislators. They are written in a way that requires you to fill in the name of your legislator at the top and sign your name at the bottom. This makes it easy for you to lobby for change, without a lot of effort. Send every LEN to the legislators in your district. They listen to voting constituents. If you want, it can also have impact to send them to as many other legislators as you can. We suggest you 1) print a copy of the letters provided, and 2) mail them to your legislators, and 3) email an electronic version if you can.
Letters for Title IV-D (Aim to Reduce Government Intervention on Private Support Matters)
Letters for Joint Physical Custody (Aim to Establish a Presumption of Joint Physical Custody)
Your Story.
The first step towards legislative change is to write your story. You must summarize your story in the writing if you want anyone to listen. Refer to our brochure section for information on how to prepare your personal story, explaining how the family law system has affected you and your children, and why you think change is necessary.
Find Your Legislator.
You have a state representative and a state senator. Find out who they are. All contact information is available online.
Make an appointment with your legislator.
Legislators never deny an appointment with a constituent. Very few citizens get involved in the legislative process. It has been said that if legislators get 6 calls on one issue, they believe the issue has merit. You can be one of the 6 people to make a change. During a legislative session you rarely get more than 15 minutes. If you can, talk with your legislator off-session. If you want an experienced citizen-lobbyist from CPR to attend with you, just email us.
Get involved in Citizen Legislative Committees
Email us if you are interested in getting connected with a team of citizens who work together to educate legislators.
Current Bills Being Worked at the Minnesota Legislature
Presumption of Joint Physical Custody Bill (see: jointcustodymn.org)
Eligibility Standards to Limit who can apply for county Title IV-D services
Child Support Guidelines, Collections, and Enforcement
Current Family Law (private domestic relations v public law)
Current Minnesota laws are found at www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/
Chapter 518 for domestic relations (see http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/518/ )
Chapter 256 for public assistance (see http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/256/ )
Chapter 257 for paternity (see http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/257/ )
Current Federal Laws (United States Code – USC) see http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title04/0400.htm
Current Federal Rules (CFRs) see http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_01/45cfrv2_01.html