As Passed by the Senate                       1            

123rd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                             Sub. 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            

  FERDERBER-SALERNO-HARRIS-CALVERT-BRADING-VERICH-BENDER-JONES-    10           

   PERRY-YOUNG-TAYLOR-DISTEL-MAIER-JACOBSON-PATTON-HOLLISTER-      11           

 SCHULER-SCHURING-JERSE-BRITTON-BARRETT-SENATORS LATTA-BLESSING-   12           

        WATTS-NEIN-CUPP-OELSLAGER-HOTTINGER-GARDNER-SPADA          13           


_________________________________________________________________   15           

                          A   B I L L                                           

             To amend section 3109.06 and to enact sections        17           

                3109.41 to 3109.48 of the Revised Code to deny     18           

                custody and visitation rights to, and to           19           

                terminate existing custody or visitation rights    20           

                of, a parent who has been convicted of aggravated               

                murder, murder, or voluntary manslaughter of the   21           

                other parent of the child.                         22           




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        24           

      Section 1.  That section 3109.06 be amended and sections     26           

3109.41, 3109.42, 3109.43, 3109.44, 3109.45, 3109.46, 3109.47,     27           

and 3109.48 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:     28           

      Sec. 3109.06.  Any court, other than a juvenile court, that  37           

has jurisdiction in any case respecting the allocation of          38           

parental rights and responsibilities for the care of a child       39           

under eighteen years of age and the designation of the child's     40           

place of residence and legal custodian or in any case respecting   41           

the support of a child under eighteen years of age, may, on its    42           

own motion or on motion of any interested party, with the consent  43           

of the juvenile court, certify the record in the case or so much   44           

of the record and such further information, in narrative form or   45           

                                                          2      


                                                                 
otherwise, as the court deems necessary or the juvenile court      46           

requests, to the juvenile court for further proceedings; upon the  47           

certification, the juvenile court shall have exclusive             48           

jurisdiction.                                                      49           

      In cases in which the court of common pleas finds the        51           

parents unsuitable to have the parental rights and                 52           

responsibilities for the care of the child or children and         53           

unsuitable to provide the place of residence and to be the legal   54           

custodian of the child or children, consent of the juvenile court  55           

shall not be required to such certification.  This section         56           

applies to actions pending on August 28, 1951.                     57           

      In any case in which a court of common pleas, or other       59           

court having jurisdiction, has issued an order that allocates      60           

parental rights and responsibilities for the care of minor         61           

children and designates their place of residence and legal         62           

custodian of minor children, has made an order for support of      63           

minor children, or has done both, the jurisdiction of the court    64           

shall not abate upon the death of the person awarded custody but   65           

shall continue for all purposes during the minority of the         66           

children, and the.  THE court, upon its own motion or the motion   68           

of either parent or of any interested person acting on behalf of   69           

the children, may proceed to make further disposition of the case  70           

in the best interests of the children, or if AND SUBJECT TO        71           

SECTIONS 3109.42 TO 3109.48 OF THE REVISED CODE.  IF the children  72           

are under eighteen years of age, it may certify them, pursuant to  73           

this section, to the juvenile court of any county for further      74           

proceedings.  After certification to a juvenile court, the         75           

jurisdiction of the court of common pleas, or other court, shall   76           

cease, except as to any payments of spousal support due for the    77           

spouse and support payments due and unpaid for the children at     78           

the time of the certification.                                     79           

      Any disposition made pursuant to this section, whether by a  81           

juvenile court after a case is certified to it, or by any court    82           

upon the death of a person awarded custody of a child, shall be    83           

                                                          3      


                                                                 
made in accordance with section SECTIONS 3109.04 AND 3109.42 TO    85           

3109.48 of the Revised Code.  If an appeal is taken from a         86           

decision made pursuant to this section that allocates parental     87           

rights and responsibilities for the care of a minor child and      88           

designates the child's place of residence and legal custodian,     89           

the court of appeals shall give the case calendar priority and     90           

handle it expeditiously.                                                        

      Sec. 3109.41.  AS USED IN SECTIONS 3109.41 TO 3109.48 OF     92           

THE REVISED CODE:                                                  94           

      (A)  A PERSON IS "CONVICTED OF KILLING" IF THE PERSON HAS    97           

BEEN CONVICTED OF OR PLEADED GUILTY TO A VIOLATION OF SECTION      98           

2903.01, 2903.02, OR 2903.03 OF THE REVISED CODE.                  100          

      (B)  "CUSTODY ORDER" MEANS AN ORDER DESIGNATING A PERSON AS  103          

THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL CUSTODIAN OF A CHILD UNDER        104          

SECTION 3109.04 OF THE REVISED CODE OR ANY ORDER DETERMINING       106          

CUSTODY OF A CHILD UNDER SECTION 2151.23, 2151.33, 2151.353,       107          

2151.354, 2151.355, 2151.356, 2151.415, 2151.417, OR 3113.31 OF    109          

THE REVISED CODE.                                                               

      (C)  "VISITATION ORDER" MEANS AN ORDER ISSUED UNDER          111          

DIVISION (B)(1)(c) OF SECTION 2151.33 OR UNDER SECTION 2151.412,   114          

3109.051, 3109.12, OR 3113.31 OF THE REVISED CODE.                 116          

      Sec. 3109.42.  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 3109.47 OF THE  119          

REVISED CODE, IF A PARENT IS CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER        121          

PARENT OF A CHILD, NO COURT SHALL ISSUE A CUSTODY ORDER            122          

DESIGNATING THE PARENT AS THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL         123          

CUSTODIAN OF THE CHILD OR GRANTING CUSTODY OF THE CHILD TO THE     124          

PARENT.                                                                         

      Sec. 3109.43.  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 3109.47 OF THE  127          

REVISED CODE, IF A PARENT IS CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER        129          

PARENT OF A CHILD, NO COURT SHALL ISSUE A VISITATION ORDER         130          

GRANTING THE PARENT VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD.              131          

      Sec. 3109.44.  UPON RECEIPT OF NOTICE THAT A VISITATION      133          

ORDER IS PENDING OR HAS BEEN ISSUED GRANTING A PARENT VISITATION   135          

RIGHTS WITH A CHILD OR A CUSTODY ORDER IS PENDING OR HAS BEEN      136          

                                                          4      


                                                                 
ISSUED DESIGNATING A PARENT AS THE RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL    137          

CUSTODIAN OF A CHILD OR GRANTING CUSTODY OF A CHILD TO A PARENT    138          

PRIOR TO THAT PARENT BEING CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER PARENT   139          

OF THE CHILD, THE COURT IN WHICH THE PARENT IS CONVICTED OF        140          

KILLING THE OTHER PARENT SHALL IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY THE COURT THAT   141          

ISSUED THE VISITATION OR CUSTODY ORDER OF THE CONVICTION.          142          

      Sec. 3109.45.  ON RECEIPT OF NOTICE UNDER SECTION 3109.44    144          

OF THE REVISED CODE, A COURT THAT ISSUED A VISITATION ORDER        147          

DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION SHALL TERMINATE THE ORDER.               148          

      Sec. 3109.46.  IF THE COURT TO WHICH NOTICE IS SENT UNDER    150          

SECTION 3109.44 OF THE REVISED CODE IS A JUVENILE COURT THAT       153          

ISSUED A CUSTODY ORDER DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION, THE COURT SHALL  154          

RETAIN JURISDICTION OVER THE ORDER.  IF THE COURT TO WHICH NOTICE  155          

IS SENT IS NOT A JUVENILE COURT BUT THE COURT ISSUED A CUSTODY     156          

ORDER DESCRIBED IN THAT SECTION, THE COURT SHALL TRANSFER          157          

JURISDICTION OVER THE CUSTODY ORDER TO THE JUVENILE COURT OF THE   158          

COUNTY IN WHICH THE CHILD HAS A RESIDENCE OR LEGAL SETTLEMENT.     159          

      ON RECEIPT OF THE NOTICE IN CASES IN WHICH THE CUSTODY       161          

ORDER WAS ISSUED BY A JUVENILE COURT OR AFTER JURISDICTION IS      162          

TRANSFERRED, THE JUVENILE COURT WITH JURISDICTION SHALL TERMINATE  164          

THE CUSTODY ORDER.                                                              

      THE TERMINATION ORDER SHALL BE TREATED AS A COMPLAINT FILED  167          

UNDER SECTION 2151.27 OF THE REVISED CODE ALLEGING THE CHILD       169          

SUBJECT OF THE CUSTODY ORDER TO BE A DEPENDENT CHILD.  IF A        170          

JUVENILE COURT ISSUED THE TERMINATED CUSTODY ORDER UNDER A PRIOR   171          

JUVENILE PROCEEDING UNDER CHAPTER 2151. OF THE REVISED CODE IN     174          

WHICH THE CHILD WAS ADJUDICATED AN ABUSED, NEGLECTED, DEPENDENT,   175          

UNRULY, OR DELINQUENT CHILD OR A JUVENILE TRAFFIC OFFENDER, THE    176          

COURT SHALL TREAT THE TERMINATION ORDER AS A NEW COMPLAINT.        177          

      Sec. 3109.47.  (A)  A COURT MAY DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING      179          

WITH RESPECT TO A PARENT CONVICTED OF KILLING THE OTHER PARENT OF  180          

A CHILD IF THE COURT DETERMINES, BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING           181          

EVIDENCE, THAT IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD AND THE     182          

CHILD CONSENTS:                                                                 

                                                          5      


                                                                 
      (1)  ISSUE A CUSTODY ORDER DESIGNATING THE PARENT AS THE     185          

RESIDENTIAL PARENT AND LEGAL CUSTODIAN OF THE CHILD OR GRANTING    186          

CUSTODY OF THE CHILD TO THAT PARENT;                               187          

      (2)  ISSUE A VISITATION ORDER GRANTING THAT PARENT           190          

VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD.                                  191          

      (B)  WHEN CONSIDERING THE ABILITY OF A CHILD TO CONSENT AND  193          

THE VALIDITY OF A CHILD'S CONSENT UNDER THIS SECTION, THE COURT    194          

SHALL CONSIDER THE WISHES OF THE CHILD, AS EXPRESSED DIRECTLY BY   195          

THE CHILD OR THROUGH THE CHILD'S GUARDIAN AD LITEM, WITH DUE       196          

REGARD FOR THE MATURITY OF THE CHILD.                              197          

      Sec. 3109.48.  NO PERSON, WITH THE CHILD OF THE PARENT       199          

PRESENT, SHALL VISIT THE PARENT WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF KILLING  201          

THE CHILD'S OTHER PARENT UNLESS A COURT HAS ISSUED AN ORDER        202          

GRANTING THE PARENT VISITATION RIGHTS WITH THE CHILD AND THE       203          

CHILD'S CUSTODIAN OR LEGAL GUARDIAN CONSENTS TO THE VISIT.         204          

      Section 2.  That existing section 3109.06 of the Revised     206          

Code is hereby repealed.                                           207