Jeffery M. Leving to Support Roundtable Discussion on Landmark Illinois Legislation to Provide Divorced Parents Equal time with their Children

CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This landmark House Bill 4113 is sponsored by Illinois State Representative La Shawn K. Ford, who is introducing this important Parents Rally for Equal Rights with Attorney Jeffery M. Leving.   Representative Ford's legislation provides that equal time with each parent is in the presumptive best interest of the child.

"I support this new law because it puts the interests of children first and helps to rectify the current state of inequality where mothers spend significantly more time with their children than fathers do," said Leving.

The discussion is scheduled to take place at the Michael A. Bilandic State of Illinois Building in Chicago, which houses Illinois Supreme Court Justices and the Illinois First District Appellate Court, on Wednesday December 13, 2017 at 10 AM.

This increase in so-called "shared responsibility" legislation reflects recent studies that have demonstrated the importance of a father's presence in the lives of his children. According to a March 15, 2016, article by Jen Fifield on the Pew Foundation Stateline blog, a "10-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, . . . found that children who felt they mattered to their fathers were less likely to later have mental health problems such as depression or anxiety."

Should HB 4113 pass, Illinois would join several states, including Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah, that the National Parents Organization lists as having laws most supportive of shared parenting, while Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and Missouri are considering similar steps.

Any father seeking resources in fighting for parental rights should follow Leving on Twitter @fathersmatter and on Facebook.

Contact: Jennifer Whiteside, 312.296.3666

SOURCE Law Offices of Jeffery Leving, Ltd.