05/03/1994 06:30 PM Senate JUD

 SENATOR TAYLOR brought  HB 122  (CHILD CUSTODY PROCEDURES) before the    he   
 committee as the final order of business.                                     
                                                                               
 CHRIS CHRISTENSEN, Legal Counsel, Alaska Court System, explained              
 that AS 25.20.090 provides a laundry list of factors that a judge             
 is supposed to consider when awarding shared custody of child.  One           
 of those is the findings and recommendations of a neutral mediator.           
 However, the person drafting that statute confused mediation with             
 arbitration.  Mediators are not supposed to make recommendations to           
 a judge, and HB 122 deletes that particular requirement from the              
 statute.                                                                      
                                                                               
 Mr. Christensen clarified that there can still be mediation in                
 child custody cases, however, the mediator just won't make a                  
 recommendation to the judge.                                                  
                                                                               
 SENATOR HALFORD moved that HB 122 be passed out of committee with             
 individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection, it was so                  
 ordered.