Parental custody bill would prioritize Mother’s and Father’s Day

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers are debating a custody bill that prioritizes Mother’s Day and Father’s Day when there’s a conflict with other types of parent time.

The main objective of SB208 is to set a priority for when conflicts arise between things like extended parent time and a designated holiday like a child’s birthday.

Bill sponsor Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said Mother’s Day and Father’s Day would take precedence over other types of custody.

“If the child’s birthday is on Mother’s Day, then dad can’t say ‘Well it’s my year for the child’s birthday so you lose Mother’s Day.’ So it’s kind of setting up which holidays trump which ones,” Weiler said. ” … If there’s a conflict that arises, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day take first preference, and then a child’s birthday, and then extended parent time, and then the regular weekday or parent time visitation.”

Custody bill extends hours for Father’s Day, Mother’s Day

The custody bill also extends the time for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.

“The other thing it does now is it says Father’s Day will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the day before Father’s Day and then go until 8:30 p.m. that evening. Right now it began that morning. And it’s the same for Mother’s Day.”

Weiler said his bill also specifies that the two weeks of extended parent time in the summer must all be taken at once so neither parent can use it to deprive the other parent of time.

“Each parent usually gets two weeks that they can carve out in the summer where they can take the kids to Disneyland or a family vacation … but mom can’t take that over Father’s Day is what this is saying.”

The custody bill passed in the Utah Senate and received a favorable recommendation by a House committee. 

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