House File 2467 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  KAUFMANN and SCHUELLER


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the holding of a parent in contempt regarding
  2    the denial of child visitation and making a penalty
  3    applicable.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 5548HH 82
  6 pf/nh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 598.23, subsection 1, Code Supplement
  1  2 2007, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    1.  If a person against whom a temporary order or final
  1  4 decree has been entered willfully disobeys the order or
  1  5 decree, the person may be cited and punished by the court for
  1  6 contempt and be committed to the county jail for a period of
  1  7 time not to exceed thirty days for each offense.  The court
  1  8 may find that a person willfully disobeyed the order or decree
  1  9 and hold the person in contempt if the person is found to have
  1 10 unilaterally decided to deny visitation, as prescribed by the
  1 11 order or decree, in response to a non=life=threatening
  1 12 emergency.
  1 13                           EXPLANATION
  1 14    This bill provides that one basis for a finding of contempt
  1 15 under the dissolution of marriage and domestic relations Code
  1 16 chapter is that a person willfully disobeyed an order or
  1 17 decree by unilaterally deciding to deny visitation, as
  1 18 prescribed by the order or decree, in response to a
  1 19 non=life=threatening emergency.  The punishment for contempt
  1 20 is commitment to the county jail for a period not to exceed 30
  1 21 days for each offense, or an alternative penalty specified in
  1 22 the section.
  1 23 LSB 5548HH 82
  1 24 pf/nh/8