House Amendment 2037


PAG LIN




     1  1    Amend Senate File 593, as passed by the Senate, as
     1  2 follows:
     1  3 #1.  Page 1, by inserting before line 1 the
     1  4 following:
     1  5    <Section 1.  Section 598.16, Code 2007, is amended
     1  6 to read as follows:
     1  7    598.16  CONCILIATION == DOMESTIC RELATIONS
     1  8 DIVISIONS.
     1  9    1.  A majority of the judges in any judicial
     1 10 district, with the cooperation of any county board of
     1 11 supervisors in the district, may establish a domestic
     1 12 relations division of the district court of the county
     1 13 where the board is located.  The division shall offer
     1 14 counseling and related services to persons before the
     1 15 court.
     1 16    2.  Upon Except as provided in subsection 7, upon
     1 17 the application of the petitioner in the petition or
     1 18 by the respondent in the responsive pleading thereto
     1 19 or, within twenty days of appointment, of an attorney
     1 20 appointed under section 598.12, the court shall
     1 21 require the parties to participate in conciliation
     1 22 efforts for a period of sixty days from the issuance
     1 23 of an order setting forth the conciliation procedure
     1 24 and the conciliator.
     1 25    3.  At any time upon its own motion or upon the
     1 26 application of a party the court may require the
     1 27 parties to participate in conciliation efforts for
     1 28 sixty days or less following the issuance of such an
     1 29 order.
     1 30    4.  Every order for conciliation shall require the
     1 31 conciliator to file a written report by a date certain
     1 32 which shall state the conciliation procedures
     1 33 undertaken and such other matters as may have been
     1 34 required by the court.  The report shall be a part of
     1 35 the record unless otherwise ordered by the court.
     1 36 Such conciliation procedure may include, but is not
     1 37 limited to, referrals to the domestic relations
     1 38 division of the court, if established, public or
     1 39 private marriage counselors, family service agencies,
     1 40 community health centers, physicians and clergy.
     1 41    5.  The costs of conciliation procedures shall be
     1 42 paid in full or in part by the parties and taxed as
     1 43 court costs; however, if the court determines that the
     1 44 parties will be unable to pay the costs without
     1 45 prejudicing their financial ability to provide
     1 46 themselves and any minor children with economic
     1 47 necessities, the costs may be paid in full or in part
     1 48 by the county.
     1 49    6.  Persons providing counseling and other services
     1 50 pursuant to this section are not court employees, but
     2  1 are subject to court supervision.
     2  2    7.  Upon application, the court shall grant a
     2  3 waiver from the requirements of this section if a
     2  4 party demonstrates that a history of domestic abuse,
     2  5 as defined in section 236.2, exists.  In determining
     2  6 whether a history of domestic abuse exists, the
     2  7 court's consideration shall include, but is not
     2  8 limited to, commencement of an action pursuant to
     2  9 section 236.3, the issuance of a protective order
     2 10 against a party or the issuance of a court order or
     2 11 consent agreement pursuant to section 236.5, the
     2 12 issuance of an emergency order pursuant to section
     2 13 236.6, the holding of a party in contempt pursuant to
     2 14 section 664A.7, the response of a peace officer to the
     2 15 scene of alleged domestic abuse or the arrest of a
     2 16 party following response to a report of alleged
     2 17 domestic abuse, or a conviction for domestic abuse
     2 18 assault pursuant to section 708.2A.>
     2 19 #2.  Title page, line 1, by inserting after the
     2 20 word <to> the following:  <court procedures including
     2 21 conciliation proceedings and>.
     2 22
     2 23
     2 24                               
     2 25 HUSER of Polk
     2 26
     2 27
     2 28                               
     2 29 PALMER of Mahaska
     2 30
     2 31
     2 32                               
     2 33 SWAIM of Davis
     2 34
     2 35
     2 36                               
     2 37 ANDERSON of Page
     2 38
     2 39
     2 40                               
     2 41 STRUYK of Pottawattamie
     2 42
     2 43
     2 44                               
     2 45 PETTENGILL of Benton
     2 46 SF 593.201 82
     2 47 jm/es/10215

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