6632 Telegraph Rd, Ste 110
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
248-559-DADS
info@dadsofmichigan.org

UPCOMING DADS OF MICHIGAN EVENTS

Please find attached a brief report of some of the many activities going on around the state and country. We would like to applaud the work of Pat McElligott for his Walmart fund raising effort in Monroe, MI, the work of Bob Van Ee in Grand Rapids for his work in western Michigan, Jason Bottomly for working on the grievance process, and Jeanne Hannan in Traverse City on her excellent web site. There is a lot more to report and check the DADS web site Message Forum for the latest news.

DADS Monthly Meeting, September 6

Dads of Michigan Presents:
Monthly Family Seminar
Divorce / Custody / FOC
Tues September 6, 2005 7:00 pm Education Meeting

New Location
THE BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY HOUSE
380 South Bates Street
BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009
Located in Downtown Birmingham, call for directions-248-644-5832.

Guest speakers:	Jane Mayle, Macomb FOC, custody investigator
Agenda:	5:30 PM Council Session
	7:00 - 7:30 Dads Presentation
	7:30 - 8:30 Guest Speaker, Senator Mike Bishop
	8:30 - 9:30 Legal roundtable with Attornery Bill Reisdorf and other invited panels lawyers

FOR INFORMATION, CALL 248-559-DADS OR 248-766-4484

To host a meeting in your area, contact the DADS of Michigan business office, 248-559-3237.

CHILD CUSTODY AWARENESS BICYCLER
Robb Mackenzie completed his 463 mile bicycle marathon from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to the Lansing, MI Capital on Friday, August 12. He was joined by Darren Brinkley for the last leg of the trip and greeted by Channel 10 News and supporters at the Capital. Bicyclers circled the Capital and stopped at the Department of Human Services building and received a very warm welcome of support. Robb, with is bright yellow jersey emblemmed with DADS of Michigan and Children Need Both Parents plaque, was greeted by his daughter, whom he has fought Michigan courts just to have a relationship with. His Mom and stepdaughter were proudly displaying signs of support. The Grandmother exclaimed that he has fought so hard with the courts to be involved in his daughters life and this allows me to see my granddaughter. Robb visited and was enthusiastically greeted at some of the offices of Senators and Representatives in the Capital building.

KRights Radio – Military and Family Issues, CDR James Semerad
A conversation with State Rep. Rick Jones on house bill 5100 which will protect military personnel from losing custody or parenting rights because they were deployed overseas. Check the web broadcast at Military and Family Issues http://krightsradio.com/content/Denver/military2air.mp3

Michigan Legislature Update, Proposed Law Protects Military
Subscribe to the Michigan Legislature Update if you wish to change your notification settings or subscribe, please login at the Michigan Legislature Website http://www.legislature.mi.gov/ and visit the Notify page.

Family law
Updated Bills or Resolutions:

• HB 5100 of 2005
  Family law; parental rights; military parental custody rights; clarify. Amends secs. 2, 5 & 7 of 1970 PA 91 (MCL 722.22 et seq.).

California Military Bill Signing
SB 1082 establishes a procedure for child support proceedings before deployment and protects deployed members of the Armed Services from having their visitation rights taken away in abstentia.

Under current law, recently activated or deployed military personnel are denied justice regarding child support and visitation rights by a conflict between deployment orders and federal law. This is particularly a problem for members of the National Guard, who when activated are literally given days to report for duty. Thus due to a loophole in current law, military personnel with child support payments who are activated to federal duty are compelled by circumstances to become criminally delinquent in relation to child support orders.

Should the governor sign SB 1082, it will be a first-in-the-nation bill, giving thousands of Armed Services’ members relief from one of the more onerous problems that could result due to being shipped overseas. The sponsor of the bill has already received calls from the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and a member of the Michigan State Legislature, asking for help to pass an identical law in their states.

Finally, SB 1082 was approved unanimously by both the Senate and the Assembly.

Signing Ceremony, Camp Pendleton, CA

Attendees: Senators Ackerman, Ducheny, and Morrow
Other legislators
Donna Hershkowitz, SOR, assisted in writing the bill
Stan DiOrio, Secretary of State’s office
Michael Robinson, parents rights advocate
Military personnel

Contacts: Donald Wilson, chief consultant, Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (445-5798)
Wade Teasdale, chief of staff, Senator Bill Morrow (651-4038)
Paul Dress, Office of Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman, 33rd Senate District
916.651-4033 (phone)

Australian Proposal Makes it Tougher to Make False DV Allegations
A proposal by federal MPs in Australia would make it harder for women to make false domestic violence allegations to avoid court enforced conciliation or equal custody of children. The new plan proposes that women show a “reasonable” fear of violence to be exempted from out-of-court solutions. The proposal would still protect victims of domestic violence, but would help eliminate frivolous claims. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fear-key-to-mps-plan-on-custody/2005/08/18/1123958182729.html

“THE RIGHTS OF UNWED FATHERS”, Grand Rapids
http://dadsofmichigan.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=297&sid=84623e004f4d4c010a4df9a53f744209

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A FREE DOMESTIC RELATIONS EDUCTION PROGRAM ON: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 FROM 6:30 TO 8:00 P.M. IN THE JURY ASSEMBLY ROOM, 1ST FLOOR OF THE KENT COUNTY COURTHOUSE.

SEPARATE: FACT FROM FICTION AND RUMOR FROM REALITY! FAMILIES: LEARN ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW. ATTORNEYS: HEAR AN UPDATED STATE OF THE LAW PRESENTATION OF THIS DYNAMIC AREA. JUDGES AND REFEREES: RECEIVE AN UP-TO-THE-MINUTE SUMMARY OF DEVELOPING LAW. STATUTES! LEGISLATION! CASES AND MORE!!

OUR PRESENTERS INCLUDE:

Attorneys Kenneth Sanders, Pamela Hoekwater and Scott Sherlund; Family Court Referee Jon Ferrier.

Questions and Discussion will follow presentations. For more information please call Referee Jon Ferrier at 616-632-5142

DADS OF MICHIGAN (www.dadsofmichigan.org) and MOMS FOR DADS, INC. are volunteer responsible fatherhood education organizations for fathers and mothers respectively. They instruct on the importance of involved biological dads to the successful development of their children. DADS OF MICHIGAN PAC is an independent volunteer political advocacy group dedicated to legislation keeping both biological parents actively engaged in the lives of their children despite divorce and custody, in most instances. They believe men and women should be viewed equally under the law and their credo is: "fathers are responsible parents too...because the best parent is both parents." DADS OF MICHIGAN, the Michigan affiliate of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, is also the developer of the Moms and Dads University of responsible education for teenage, divorced, and unmarried parents. This educational series employs several unique features designed to either directly or indirectly benefit nearly 2 million men, women between the ages 13-44, and just under one-half million children each year in Michigan. For more information, please contact us at (248) 559 DADS (3237).

"your individual child custody situation will not
easily change until it changes for us all"