As Introduced

130th General Assembly
Regular Session
2013-2014
H. B. No. 86


Representative Heard 

Cosponsors: Representatives Rogers, Ashford, Strahorn, Fedor 



A BILL
To enact section 3109.054 of the Revised Code to 1
require a court that becomes aware that there is a 2
risk of abduction of a child by one parent during 3
a custody or domestic relations proceeding to 4
consider certain specified factors to determine 5
whether preventative measures are necessary and to 6
permit a court to take certain actions if the 7
court determines preventative measures are 8
necessary to prevent the abduction of the child.9


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1.  That section 3109.054 of the Revised Code be 10
enacted to read as follows:11

       Sec. 3109.054.  (A) In any divorce, legal separation, or 12
annulment proceeding and in any proceeding pertaining to the 13
allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of 14
a child in which the court becomes aware of facts that may 15
indicate that there is a risk of abduction of a child by one 16
parent, the court shall, on its own motion or upon the motion of 17
either parent, determine whether measures are needed to prevent 18
the abduction of the child by one parent. To make that 19
determination, the court shall consider the following:20

       (1) The risk of abduction of the child;21

       (2) Obstacles to the location, recovery, and return of the 22
child if the child is abducted;23

       (3) Potential harm to the child if the child is abducted. 24

       (B) To determine whether there is a risk of abduction under 25
division (A)(1) of this section, the court shall consider the 26
following factors:27

       (1) Whether a parent has previously taken, enticed away, 28
kept, withheld, or concealed a child in violation of the right of 29
custody or of visitation of a person;30

       (2) Whether a parent has previously threatened to take, 31
entice away, keep, withhold, or conceal a child in violation of 32
the right of custody or of visitation of a person;33

       (3) Whether a parent lacks strong ties to this country;34

       (4) Whether a parent has strong familial, emotional, or 35
cultural ties to another country, including foreign citizenship. 36
This factor shall be considered only if evidence exists in support 37
of another factor specified in division (B) of this section;38

       (5) Whether a parent has no financial reason to stay in this 39
country, including whether the parent is unemployed, is able to 40
work anywhere, or is financially independent;41

       (6) Whether a parent has engaged in planning activities that 42
would facilitate the removal of a child from this country, 43
including quitting a job, selling the parent's primary residence, 44
terminating a lease, closing a bank account, liquidating other 45
assets, hiding or destroying documents, applying for a passport, 46
applying to obtain a birth certificate or school or medical 47
records, or purchasing tickets for passenger air transportation or 48
other travel tickets, with consideration given to whether a parent 49
is carrying out a safety plan to flee from domestic violence;50

       (7) Whether a parent has a history of a lack of parental 51
cooperation or child abuse and whether there is substantiated 52
evidence that a parent has perpetrated domestic violence;53

       (8) Whether a parent has a criminal record.54

       (C) If the court makes a finding that there is a need for 55
preventative measures after considering the factors listed in 56
divisions (A) and (B) of this section, the court shall consider 57
taking one or more of the following measures to prevent the 58
abduction of the child:59

       (1) Ordering supervised visitation;60

       (2) Requiring a parent to post a bond in an amount sufficient 61
to serve as a financial deterrent to abduction, the proceeds of 62
which may be used to offset the cost of recovery of the child in 63
the event there is an abduction;64

       (3) Restricting the right of the custodial or noncustodial 65
parent to remove the child from the country;66

       (4) Requiring the surrender of passports and other travel 67
documents;68

       (5) Prohibiting a parent from applying for a new or 69
replacement passport for the child;70

       (6) Requiring a parent to notify a relevant foreign consulate 71
or embassy of passport restrictions and to provide the court with 72
proof of that notification;73

       (7) Obtaining assurances that a parent will return from 74
foreign visits by requiring the traveling parent to provide the 75
court or the other parent or guardian with any of the following:76

       (a) The travel itinerary of the child;77

       (b) Copies of round trip tickets for passenger air 78
transportation or other travel tickets;79

       (c) A list of addresses and telephone numbers where the child 80
can be reached at all times;81

       (d) An open ticket for passenger air transportation or other 82
open travel ticket for the parent that remains in the United 83
States in case the child is not returned.84

       (8) Including provisions in the order allocating the parental 85
rights and responsibilities for the care of the child to 86
facilitate the use of sections 3127.01 to 3127.53 of the Revised 87
Code and the Hague convention on the civil aspects of 88
international child abduction, such as identifying Ohio as the 89
home state of the child or otherwise defining the basis for the 90
Ohio court's exercise of jurisdiction under sections 3127.01 to 91
3127.53 of the Revised Code, identifying the United States as the 92
country of habitual residence of the child pursuant to the Hague 93
convention, defining custody rights pursuant to the Hague 94
convention, and obtaining the express agreement of the parents 95
that the United States is the country of habitual residence of the 96
child or that Ohio or the United States is the most appropriate 97
forum for addressing custody and visitation orders;98

       (9) Authorizing the assistance of law enforcement.99

       (D) If the court imposes any or all of the conditions listed 100
in division (C) of this section, the court shall specifically note 101
those conditions on the order allocating the parental rights and 102
responsibilities for the care of the child.103

       (E) If the court determines there is a risk of abduction that 104
is sufficient to warrant the application of one or more of the 105
preventative measures authorized by division (C) of this section, 106
the court shall inform the parties of the telephone number of the 107
state highway patrol.108