By: Elizabeth Campion
Posted (November 16, 2003)
Mother Pam Pilch, of Saline, Michigan, was frustrated after hearing many stories from moms who attempted to postpone jury duty while they were the full-time caregiver of a young child. Pam decided to take action and she called her State Representative, Gene DeRossett.
Representative DeRossett agreed to introduce legislation that would allow full and part-time caregivers of young children the option to defer jury duty.
Currently, the request to defer is at the discretion of judges and court officials. There is no uniformity from court to court, or even from judge to judge. Some court officials and judges have required parents to serve even when adequate childcare arrangements could not be made, or when mothers were breastfeeding young babies. A court in Saginaw gave the mother of a two-year-old a 30-day jail sentence when she arrived at the court with her child.
Michigan House Bill 4455, would give families who care for children (under the age of four) in the home during normal business hours at least 20 hours a week a postponement of jury obligations. This bill applies to at-home mothers, fathers, custodial grandparents and parents who work out of the home part-time. If passed, it will also apply to parents who work non-traditional hours such as afternoons or nights in order to be with their children during the day.
In October 2003, the judiciary committee heard testimony regarding the bill, which was well received. Several parents testified, including a stay-at-home dad and a former single mother, demonstrating how their ability to care for their young children would be improved with the option to defer jury duty. Professional testimony was offered by:
Many other organizations that have endorsed this legislation include the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, La Leche League of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Lactation Consultants, Lamaze International, the Birth Network, the Michigan Midwives Association and the Family and Home Network.
This legislation needs the support of parents who are the primary caregivers of their children. If you would like to show support for this legislation please send letters to:
For more information about HB 4455, contact Pam Pilch
At least 21 other states have family friendly jury duty legislation either enacted or currently in the works. For more info, see http://www.familyfriendlyjuryduty.org/.
 |
Reliable Answers.com does not endorse any Google advertisers, these ads are managed by Google. They are here to pay for hosting expenses. If you notice an inappropriate ad, please contact Shawn with the domain of the offensive advertiser.
|
