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In the eight years I have been in the Missouri legislature, I have consistently supported legislation to strengthen families and marriage. As the chairman of the Poverty Committee, we identified that a lack of marriage was a major problem for single-parent households trying to break free of the cycle of poverty. With help from the Center for Marriage Policy and Marriage Savers, we have filled our tool chest with the right tools that will positively meet the needs of all Missourians as well as serving as a model for the rest of the country. People are hurting and longing for remedies that are fair and workable.
Strong shared-parenting laws would remove the conflict related to child support issues---a problem that costs our taxpayers over $59 million non-recompensed dollars each year as well as a good portion of the $183 million per year on childcare. Most parents would rather care for their own children than to be required by the courts to pay others to do it.
My priority as a former state legislator was to make Missouri the first state in the country replacing "no fault" divorce with "Responsible Dissolution" laws. This was in order to give Missourians the protections their marriages and futures truly deserve, along with optional tools they need to keep their marriages strong. At the same time, making divorce a far less painful, costly, and lengthy event for those whose marriages must dissolve for good reason.
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