The South Dakota House passed a bill on Monday to give judges a new set of guidelines in deciding the custody of minors in divorce or separation cases. Senate Bill 74 is designed to create more joint custody cases for children, because it’s believed by experts that children benefit more when both parents are present in their lives. Republican State Representative Charlie Hoffman says this bill only includes future cases, not past.
"This does not go back and grandfather anyone in. It sets the stage from the time the bill is signed moving forward only. So something that happened five years ago, you can’t say no, we’re going to redo that whole court trial," Hoffman says.
Hoffman says this simply provides a judge with a list of things to consider before making any custody decisions. He says the best interest of the child is still the key thing to consider when there’s a divorce or separation. Senate Bill 74 passed the South Dakota House 68 to 2 and it goes next to the Governor’s desk to be signed.
