A naval petty officer lost custody of his 6-year-old daughter while deployed on a submarine. There were also orders to place him under arrest for not being present at a custody hearing, although those orders were later canceled. This incident prompted the proposal of HB4071, which is designed to protect parents in Alabama and elsewhere serving on active duty in the military from certain family law problems involving child custody agreements.

In the past, many parents have come home from active duty overseas only to find their custody orders had been changed without their knowledge. Some parents have told horror stories of not being able to locate their own children upon arrival back home from active duty. HB4071 would prohibit any changes to custody agreements or other existing court orders regarding parenting plans while one of the parents is deployed in the U.S. military.

Serving on active duty is a full time job that requires much focus and dedication. It is not fair that a parent should worry about losing custody of his or her own child simply because it is impossible to be in two places at one time. Many say HB4071 is a step in the right direction to prevent such problems from occurring in the future.

Any parent in Alabama facing similar issues may seek support by turning to an  attorney for guidance. Protecting the best interests of children and helping families engaged in custody arguments is of paramount importance to a family law attorney. Most parents desire swift and peaceable solutions to their problems, which may be attainable by acting alongside experienced representation.

Source: detroitnews.com, “How to keep military families together“, Ned Holstein, Nov. 25, 2016