HB 335 - UNIFORM INTERSTATE CHILD CUSTODY ACT MS. PATTI SWENSON, staff to Representative Con Bunde, presented HB 335 as a bill that integrates Alaska into the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). MS. SWENSON said the bill addresses problems that arise due to interstate child custody and revises the current statutes that have been unrevised since 1968. MS. SWENSON said the revision helps both custodial and non- custodial parents by addressing modern communication devices, domestic violence orders and other frequently occurring problems. MS. SWENSON said the bill will also help clear up conflicting court orders issued in different states and ease enforcement and hearing procedures. MS. SWENSON also stated that the UCCJEA will standardize all the paperwork and time frames connected with custody enforcement orders in all states. She said the bill makes the process easier and cheaper and will be important to anyone who becomes involved in a custody dispute. MS. SWENSON concluded that the bill also benefits kids and she urged the committee's support. Number 565 MS. DEBORAH BEHR, representing the Department of Law, testified that she is the Uniform Law Commissioner for Alaska and one of the nine attorneys that drafted the UCCJEA. MS. BEHR said the Uniform Law Commission is a middle of the road group that seeks to establish a middle of the road proposal that can be enacted in all fifty states. MS. BEHR said there were no votes against the UCCJEA in the Uniform Law Commission. MS. BEHR explained this is not a federal mandate but only a result of cooperation between the states. She further explained this does not relate to Child In Need of Aid (ChINA) determinations, nor does it effect child support. The bill merely deals with routine divorce custody orders that have some need for enforcement actions. She said the bill will benefit both custodial and non-custodial parents by ensuring the predictability of support orders and their consequences. TAPE 98-43, Side B Number 581 MS. BEHR gave an example in which two parents had contradictory court orders, and illustrated how the bill will make it less expensive and easier to resolve this problem, even without either parent retaining an attorney. She said the goal was to decrease the number of violations of court orders in custody cases and make the laws better serve kids. MS. BEHR said this bill will help parents get better enforcement more quickly and allow for criminal penalties for noncompliance. CHAIRMAN TAYLOR thanked MS. BEHR for her work on this legislation and recognized the importance of predictability and stability in childrens lives. Number 537 SENATOR PEARCE moved HB 335 from committee with individual recommendations. Without objection, it was so ordered.