Opinion ID: 987124
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The parenting act of 1987

Text: The legislature invented the parenting plan in 1987 when it adopted the parenting act. LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, §§ 1-61. The parenting act of 1987 fundamentally changed the legal procedures and framework addressing the parentchild relationship in Washington. The legislature explained the policy underlying the act: ''The state recognizes the fundamental importance of the parent-child relationship to the welfare of the child, and that the relationship between the child and each parent should be fostered unless inconsistent with the child's best interests. LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, § 2 (codified at RCW 26.09.002). To realize its policy objective, the legislature significantly changed the legal terminology applicable to parenting. Previous statutes couched much of the parentchild relationship in terms of which parent had custody and which parent was allowed visitation. See, e.g., former RCW 26.09.010 (1975), amended by LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, § 1; former RCW 26.09.050,.070 (1973), amended by LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, §§ 5-6. As the drafting committee on the parenting act noted, these terms tended to treat children as a prize awarded to one parent and denied the other. DRAFTING COMM., 1987 PROPOSED PARENTING ACT: REPLACING THE CONCEPT OF CHILD CUSTODY cmt. at 2 (sponsored by Wash. State Rep. Appelwick) (on file with Wash. State Archives). The drafters also noted that the current system fails to separate the process of ending the marriage from the process of changing the parent and child relationship and that there were no adequate standards by which the parties and the court can define appropriate continuing relationships of children with both parents. /d. at 3. 6 State v. Veliz, No. 85860-8 The 1987 parenting act addressed these issues by providing for specific residential schedules, outlining the responsibilities of both parents, and planning for the future needs of children. /d. at 11-13. Consistent with this objective, the parenting act eliminated most references to custody and visitation and replaced them with the more functional terms parenting plan and residential schedule. See, e.g., LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, §§5-6, 11-12, 15, 19 (codified as amended at RCW 26.09.050, .070, .110, .160, .210, .260); see also HOUSE JOURNAL, 50th Leg., Reg. Sess., at 1539 (Wash. 1987) ([The parenting act] eliminates the concept of custody in favor of separating decision-making from the allegation [sic] of the residential schedule.). The increased functionality of the legislature's approach is evident in section 8 of the act, listing objectives of permanent parenting plans, including providing for children's physical care and emotional stability, stating each parent's responsibilities, minimizing children's exposure to parental conflict, and anticipating and meeting future child needs without having to continuously revisit the plan. LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, § 8 (codified at RCW 26.09.184). The act also requires the parenting plan to contain provisions for dispute resolution, allocation of decision making authority, and a residential schedule. /d. Similarly, the act calls for affidavits from both parents to be considered in issuing a temporary parenting plan, including parents' contact information, each parent's performance of parenting functions in the preceding year, the parents' current work and child-care schedules, and any negative factors that pose a serious risk to children. /d.§ 13 (codified at RCW 26.09.194). These statutes 7 State v. Veliz, No. 85860-8 reveal strong intent that parenting plans were to become the new standard to address the rights of parents and the needs of children. The legislature harmonized this complete overhaul of the legal concepts of parenting with Washington's criminal statutes by importing the language and terminology of the parenting act into the criminal code. Sections 52 through 54 of the parenting act would have amended the first and second degree custodial interference statutes by assigning criminal liability to those who with the intent to deny access to the child ... by ... a parent with whom the child resides pursuant to a parenting plan order . .. take[], entice[], retain[], detain[], or conceal[] the child ... from a parent ....  LAWS OF 1987, ch. 460, §§ 52-54 (emphasis added). This proposed change to the custodial interference statutes also shows that the legislature intended the new parenting plan framework to extend beyond the domestic relations title into the criminal code. 4