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Senate debate stalls bill to bar co‑parenting with alleged rapist; sponsors, opponents press competing priorities
Summary
A proposal to block co‑parenting by people found, by clear and convincing evidence, to have committed sexual assault drew extended debate and was taken 'by' for the day after senators requested more work on language and consequences.
RICHMOND, Va. — A Senate floor discussion on a bill intended to prevent people who committed sexual assault from becoming or remaining co‑parents produced sharp disagreement Tuesday and was put aside for further work.
Senator R. Deeds, the senator from Charlottesville, framed the measure as an effort to let survivors avoid being forced into parenting relationships with their assailants before criminal convictions can be completed. "This bill had was very unusual," Deeds said on the floor, describing the measure’s intent and the concerns raised by the judiciary about setting up a new civil process to resolve parenting status.
Opponents called the floor substitute problematic. Senior Senator Terry of…
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