Proposal to add equal-parenting research as a court factor draws partisan responses
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Summary
LB908 would add a factor directing judges to consider research showing benefits when children have equal access to both parents; father-advocates praised the measure, while domestic-violence and child-welfare organizations warned against inserting generalized research into individualized best-interest determinations.
Sen. Jared Storm told the committee LB908 would add two lines to the parenting statute requiring courts to consider “credible research showing increased intellectual and social growth in children who have equal access to both parents.” He said the change is modest and aimed at encouraging arrangements that give children sustained contact with both parents when safe.
Proponents included fathers who recounted losing time with children under current practice and advocacy groups that pointed to studies linking shared parenting to better outcomes. Adam Roberts, founder of Dads for Equal Parenting Rights, cited an Arizona study and argued closer-to-50/50 parenting correlates with improved educational and social outcomes.
Opponents — notably the Nebraska Coalition to End Domestic Violence — said the parenting-act framework requires individualized determinations of each child's needs and cautioned that inserting broad research as a statutory factor could create an implicit presumption of equal parenting time even where high conflict, coercive control, or safety concerns make that inappropriate.
Senators debated whether the language merely adds context judges can weigh or creates undue pressure to apply a generalized presumption; the sponsor said existing abuse and safety factors remain paramount.