Grandparents Rights, while logical, are beset with many complications and unintended consequences. that is why I spelled out each of Senator East’s 6 points. The path to any semblance of fairness has to come through the states.
The first 7 parts of this series outlined Senator East’s charge to the subcommittee as they took testimony regarding Senate Concurrent Resolution 40. “The purpose of this hearing is to listen to some testimony pertinent to the problems of Grandparents Visitation Rights. what the United States Senate can do, I do not know, but I certainly come to this task of the hearing with a sympathetic ear and a deep and profound interest. I can sympathize with the Grandparents”.
This was a Subcommittee on Separation of Powers of the Committee on the Judiciary. In other words the issue of Grandparents Visitation Rights is in fact, clearly a States Rights issue. Senator Levin in his testimony said; “At the federal level, Congress has no general authority to legislate in this area, but it can urge the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State laws (ULC) to develop a model act that allows grandparents to petition the courts for visitation privileges”. He went on to say; The proposed model grandparent visitation act would not have the power of law or regulation unless it were adopted by a state. It would not set conditions for the receipt of federal aid. It would simply be model state legislation, all or part of which individual state legislatures may choose to enact into law, or choose not to enact into law”.
There are other Uniform Acts in the ULC Master Edition, volume 9 and 9A, such as; Marriage and Divorce Act, Juvenile Court Act, Civil Liability for Support Act and about a dozen more.
An attorney from Michigan, Richard Victor founded the Grandparents Rights Organization and has been a champion for this cause for decades. I will continue to share ideas and stories on this blog in an attempt to help those deserving souls who are Caring Grandparents. I just thought it fair to each of you to show you the lay of the land in this struggle.
Thank You for being a Caring Grandparent.
