As Reported by House Children and Family Services Committee     1            

123rd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                              Am. H. B. No. 191  5            

      1999-2000                                                    6            


    REPRESENTATIVES CLANCY-ALLEN-CATES-DePIERO-FORD-GRENDELL-      7            

  JOLIVETTE-KREBS-O'BRIEN-PRINGLE-SULLIVAN-TERWILLEGER-THOMAS-     8            

  WILLIAMS-WINKLER-WOMER BENJAMIN-FLANNERY-METZGER-WILLAMOWSKI     9            


_________________________________________________________________   10           

                          A   B I L L                                           

             To amend section 3109.06 and to enact sections        12           

                3109.41 to 3109.48 of the Revised Code to deny     13           

                custody and visitation rights to, and to           14           

                terminate existing custody or visitation rights    15           

                of, a parent who has been convicted of aggravated               

                murder, murder, or voluntary manslaughter of the   16           

                other parent of the child.                         17           




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        19           

      Section 1.  That section 3109.06 be amended and section      21           

3109.41, 3109.42, 3109.43, 3109.44, 3109.45, 3109.46, 3109.47,     22           

and 3109.48 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:     23           

      Sec. 3109.06.  Any court, other than a juvenile court, that  32           

has jurisdiction in any case respecting the allocation of          33           

parental rights and responsibilities for the care of a child       34           

under eighteen years of age and the designation of the child's     35           

place of residence and legal custodian or in any case respecting   36           

the support of a child under eighteen years of age, may, on its    37           

own motion or on motion of any interested party, with the consent  38           

of the juvenile court, certify the record in the case or so much   39           

of the record and such further information, in narrative form or   40           

otherwise, as the court deems necessary or the juvenile court      41           

requests, to the juvenile court for further proceedings; upon the  42           

certification, the juvenile court shall have exclusive             43           

jurisdiction.                                                      44           

                                                          2      


                                                                 
      In cases in which the court of common pleas finds the        46           

parents unsuitable to have the parental rights and                 47           

responsibilities for the care of the child or children and         48           

unsuitable to provide the place of residence and to be the legal   49           

custodian of the child or children, consent of the juvenile court  50           

shall not be required to such certification.  This section         51           

applies to actions pending on August 28, 1951.                     52           

      In any case in which a court of common pleas, or other       54           

court having jurisdiction, has issued an order that allocates      55           

parental rights and responsibilities for the care of minor         56           

children and designates their place of residence and legal         57           

custodian of minor children, has made an order for support of      58           

minor children, or has done both, the jurisdiction of the court    59           

shall not abate upon the death of the person awarded custody but   60           

shall continue for all purposes during the minority of the         61           

children, and the.  THE court, upon its own motion or the motion   63           

of either parent or of any interested person acting on behalf of   64           

the children, may proceed to make further disposition of the case  65           

in the best interests of the children, or if AND SUBJECT TO        66           

SECTIONS 3109.42 TO 3109.48 OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF the children  67           

are under eighteen years of age, it may certify them, pursuant to  68           

this section, to the juvenile court of any county for further      69           

proceedings.  After certification to a juvenile court, the         70           

jurisdiction of the court of common pleas, or other court, shall   71           

cease, except as to any payments of spousal support due for the    72           

spouse and support payments due and unpaid for the children at     73           

the time of the certification.                                     74           

      Any disposition made pursuant to this section, whether by a  76           

juvenile court after a case is certified to it, or by any court    77           

upon the death of a person awarded custody of a child, shall be    78           

made in accordance with section SECTIONS 3109.04 AND 3109.42 TO    80           

3109.48 of the Revised Code.  If an appeal is taken from a         81           

decision made pursuant to this section that allocates parental     82           

rights and responsibilities for the care of a minor child and      83           

                                                          3      


                                                                 
designates the child's place of residence and legal custodian,     84           

the court of appeals shall give the case calendar priority and     85           

handle it expeditiously.                                                        

      Sec. 3109.41.  AS USED IN SECTIONS 3109.41 TO 3109.48 OF     87           

THE REVISED CODE:                                                  89           

      (A)  A PERSON IS "CONVICTED OF KILLING" IF THE PERSON HAS    92           

BEEN CONVICTED OF OR PLEADED GUILTY TO A VIOLATION OF SECTION      93           

2903.01, 2903.02, OR 2903.03 OF THE REVISED CODE;                  95           

      (B)  "CUSTODY ORDER" MEANS AN ORDER DESIGNATING A PERSON AS  98           

THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL CUSTODIAN OF A CHILD UNDER        99           

SECTION 3109.04 OF THE REVISED CODE OR ANY ORDER DETERMINING       101          

CUSTODY OF A CHILD UNDER SECTION 2151.23, 2151.33, 2151.353,       102          

2151.354, 2151.355, 2151.356, 2151.415, 2151.417, OR 3113.31 OF    104          

THEREVISED CODE.                                                                

      (C)  "VISITATION ORDER" MEANS AN ORDER ISSUED UNDER          106          

DIVISION (B)(1)(c) OF SECTION 2151.33 OR UNDER SECTION 2151.412,   109          

3109.051, 3109.12, OR 3113.31 OF THE REVISED CODE.                 111          

      Sec. 3109.42.  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 3109.47 OF THE  114          

REVISED CODE, IF A PARENT IS CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER        116          

PARENT OF A CHILD, NO COURT SHALL ISSUE A CUSTODY ORDER            117          

DESIGNATING THE PARENT AS THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL         118          

CUSTODIAN OF THE CHILD OR GRANTING CUSTODY OF THE CHILD TO THE     119          

PARENT.                                                                         

      Sec. 3109.43.  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 3109.47 OF THE  122          

REVISED CODE, IF A PARENT IS CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER        124          

PARENT OF A CHILD, NO COURT SHALL ISSUE A VISITATION ORDER         125          

GRANTING THE PARENT VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD.              126          

      Sec. 3109.44.  IF A VISITATION ORDER WAS ISSUED GRANTING A   129          

PARENT VISITATION RIGHTS WITH A CHILD OR A CUSTODY ORDER HAS BEEN  130          

ISSUED DESIGNATING A PARENT AS THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL    131          

CUSTODIAN OF A CHILD OR GRANTING CUSTODY OF A CHILD TO A PARENT    132          

PRIOR TO THAT PARENT BEING CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER PARENT   133          

OF THE CHILD, THE COURT IN WHICH THE PARENT IS CONVICTED OF        134          

KILLING THE OTHER PARENT SHALL IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY THE COURT THAT   135          

                                                          4      


                                                                 
ISSUED THE VISITATION OR CUSTODY ORDER.                            136          

      Sec. 3109.45.  ON RECEIPT OF NOTICE UNDER SECTION 3109.44    138          

OF THE REVISED CODE, A COURT THAT ISSUED A VISITATION ORDER        141          

DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION SHALL TERMINATE THE ORDER.               142          

      Sec. 3109.46.  IF THE COURT TO WHICH NOTICE IS SENT UNDER    144          

SECTION 3109.44 OF THE REVISED CODE IS A JUVENILE COURT THAT       147          

ISSUED A CUSTODY ORDER DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION, THE COURT SHALL  148          

RETAIN JURISDICTION OVER THE ORDER.  IF THE COURT TO WHICH NOTICE  149          

IS SENT IS NOT A JUVENILE COURT BUT THE COURT ISSUED A CUSTODY     150          

ORDER DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION, THE COURT SHALL TRANSFER          151          

JURISDICTION OVER THE CUSTODY ORDER TO THE JUVENILE COURT OF THE   152          

COUNTY IN WHICH THE CHILD HAS A RESIDENCE OR LEGAL SETTLEMENT.     153          

      ON RECEIPT OF THE NOTICE IN CASES IN WHICH THE CUSTODY       155          

ORDER WAS ISSUED BY A JUVENILE COURT OR AFTER JURISDICTION IS      156          

TRANSFERRED, THE JUVENILE COURT WITH JURISDICTION SHALL TERMINATE  158          

THE CUSTODY ORDER.                                                              

      THE TERMINATION ORDER SHALL BE TREATED AS A COMPLAINT FILED  161          

UNDER SECTION 2151.27 OF THE REVISED CODE ALLEGING THE CHILD       163          

SUBJECT OF THE CUSTODY ORDER TO BE A DEPENDENT CHILD.  IF A        164          

JUVENILE COURT ISSUED THE TERMINATED CUSTODY ORDER UNDER A PRIOR   165          

JUVENILE PROCEEDING UNDER CHAPTER 2151. OF THE REVISED CODE IN     168          

WHICH THE CHILD WAS ADJUDICATED AN ABUSED, NEGLECTED, DEPENDENT,   169          

UNRULY, OR DELINQUENT CHILD OR A JUVENILE TRAFFIC OFFENDER, THE    170          

COURT SHALL TREAT THE TERMINATION ORDER AS A NEW COMPLAINT.        171          

      Sec. 3109.47.  A COURT MAY DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WITH      173          

RESPECT TO A PARENT CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER PARENT OF A     174          

CHILD IF THE COURT DETERMINES, BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE,   175          

THAT IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD AND THE CHILD         176          

CONSENTS:                                                                       

      (A)  ISSUE A CUSTODY ORDER DESIGNATING THE PARENT AS THE     179          

RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL CUSTODIAN OF THE CHILD OR GRANTING    180          

CUSTODY OF THE CHILD TO THAT PARENT;                               181          

      (B)  ISSUE A VISITATION ORDER GRANTING THAT PARENT           184          

VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD.                                  185          

                                                          5      


                                                                 
      Sec. 3109.48.  NO PERSON, WITH THE CHILD OF THE PARENT       187          

PRESENT, SHALL VISIT THE PARENT WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF KILLING  189          

THE CHILD'S OTHER PARENT UNLESS A COURT HAS ISSUED AN ORDER        190          

GRANTING THE PARENT VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD AND THE       191          

CHILD'S CUSTODIAN OR LEGAL GUARDIAN CONSENTS TO THE VISIT.         192          

      Section 2.  That existing section 3109.06 of the Revised     194          

Code is hereby repealed.                                           195