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Last week, Alabama legislators introduced a bill which would change child custody laws in that state mandating shared custody between divorced parents The bill has stirred up controversy, and it is not clear it will pass. The Alabama bill is part of a nationwide trend of legislatures reviewing and revising child custody and visitation laws. Today, Vermont and New Hampshire have very different laws regarding custody and visitation. In Vermont, sole physical custody has been the norm, although that is changing as a result of a Vermont Supreme Court unpublished entry order several years ago. In New Hampshire, shared custody is encouraged. In addition, in Vermont, there is no provision for children to express a preference regarding custody, while in New Hampshire, the courts are allowed to take into account a child’s preferences under certain circumstances.
Because of the changes that are happening in family courts, and because of the different approaches in Vermont and New Hampshire, I thought it would be interesting if we did a survey of the public to see what you think.
Here is the link to the survey. Particularly for those of you whose parents were divorced or separated during your childhood, or those who are now in a divorced or separated households with minor children, we hope this survey will give voice to your concerns and opinions.