HB159 defines “domestic abuse” to include acts “intended to coerce, control, [or] punish” by a family or household member, and requires courts to elevate the importance of those factors in determining “the best interest of the child” before making custody decisions.
The Senate passed HB159 on June 7, 2021, by a vote of 36 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because redefining “domestic abuse” to include non-injurious forms of control or punishment and expanding the “best interest of the child” in custody cases undermines the family. The state has a constitutional duty to protect parental rights, along with the marital covenant, which entail a family’s authority to regulate self-governing behavior in the home. Under the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment, such rights shall not be denied or disparaged.