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AFCC-MN Chapter member Debra Bullock was sworn in by Judge Bridget Sullivan (AFCC-MN member) and sponsored by Referee Mary Madden (AFCC-MN member and former chapter President) for whom Debra clerks. Originally from Alabama, Debra graduated from the University of Wyoming. In attendance were numerous family members who travelled from Alabama, North Carolina and Maryland. Also in attendance were AFCC-MN members Alina Stevenson, Amy Burroughs and Jim Street and future chapter member Adeola Adekunle. Debra is interested in family law and will likely be a visible and important member of our family law community for years to come. Welcome Debra! James Street Referee of District Court Second Judicial District

I am pleased to announce that we have three new members who will serve on our board of directors. Amy Krupinski, who is a co-chair of our Education Committee; Emilee Rodriguez, who is chair of our membership committee; and Carlo Faccini who is chair of our Legislative Committee. Recently, our President Elect Jennifer Joseph and I attended a leadership training program in Pittsburgh with other chapter presidents. We were impressed with the structure of Arizona’s chapter where their committee chairs were members of the board of directors because that structure facilitated better coordination of efforts. We decided to adopt this so we now have a chair from each of our committees on our board. Amy Krupinski, who is a co-chair of our Education Committee Carlo Faccini who is chair of our Legislative Committee Emilee Rodriguez, who is chair of our membership committee We have been working to coordinate our efforts all year, and it seems to be working. The recent legislative conference and education programs have created interest in the work that our Chapter is doing, and our membership committee has worked to create new members so that our membership has increased by 20 new members since July. Please welcome Amy, Emilee and Carlo to our board and if you have suggestions for our chapter or want to become more involved, feel free to reach out to our committee chairs who are identified on this website. James Street Referee of District Court Second Judicial District

The following note is buried in the national newsletter which came out. Katrina Volker, AFCC member from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the proud mother of Nico Paul Hanus, born October 3, 2019. Welcome, Nico, and congratulations, Katrina! We share our message of congratulations! Katrina works at Our Family Wizard.

The following notice was posted on the Minnesota State Bar Association Family Law List Serve. Because the AFCC has a broader audience who may not all see that, I thought I would pass on this public service announcement. I don’t know how the program works, but this could be useful to members to explore. Jim Street I’m a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) – Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS) assigned here in Minneapolis to our Resident Office. The reason I’m writing is to try to establish whether the Minnesota Judicial Branch has a mass email or distribution system in place to communicate directly to the state-wide family court system, in order to share information regarding the below DOS program vis-à-vis the issuance of U.S. passports to children who are the victims of ongoing custody disputes. In an effort to reduce parental consent fraud and international parental abduction scenarios related to the issuance of U.S. passports, DOS has instituted a program known as the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP), in which separated / divorced parents can request to add their minor children to a watch list in cases of divorce, separation, other joint legal custody scenarios, etc. The purpose of this watch list is to affirmatively verify that consent of both parents has been obtained prior to the issuance of a child’s passport, in situations where there is a concern that one parent could try to violate federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1542) by circumventing passport issuance requirements. Over the past year, DSS has seen a steady increase in passport fraud caseloads related to two-parent consent.  The CPIAP program allows a parent to enroll their child/children and to be notified of a pending passport application and past passport issuances for the same.  My goal is to try to share this information with parents, legal representatives, child welfare advocates, and judges state-wide in hopes of reducing our office’s case load related to fraudulent two-parent consent issuances and international parental abductions. I’ve attached a pdf document that explains the program, in addition to the below link: Any assistance in distributing this information would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance for your work and assistance on this issue and have a great day! Best Regards, Neil J Horn Special Agent Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Minneapolis Resident Office Office: 612-659-7070 • Mobile: 612-206-5417 Email: HornNJ@state.gov

The Commission on Judicial Selection has announced two openings in the First Judicial District and one in the Second Judicial District. The deadline is November 29, 2019. The Commission on Judicial Selection has announced two openings in the First Judicial District and one in the Second Judicial District. The deadline is November 29, 2019. Commission on Judicial Selection announces vacancies in the 1st Judicial District FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 31, 2019 Contact: Teddy Tschann teddy.tschann@state.mn.us 651-402-8841 Commission on Judicial Selection Announces Vacancies in the First Judicial District [ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that two judgeship vacancies are occurring in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. The vacancies will occur upon the retirements of the Honorable Lawrence Clark and the Honorable Karen Asphaug. The position created by Judge Clark’s retirement will be chambered at Red Wing in Goodhue County. The position created by Judge Asphaug’s retirement will be chambered at Hastings in Dakota County. The Commission is searching for fair, experienced, and civic-minded individuals to serve on the bench and offer their talents and services to Minnesota’s judicial system. The following qualities will be considered for judicial office: integrity, maturity, health (if job related), judicial temperament, legal knowledge, ability, experience, and community service. The application process is now open for these vacancies. An individual wishing to apply may request an application by contacting Carl Dennis, Judicial Appointments Coordinator, via e-mail at Carl.Dennis@state.mn.us. A cover letter and resume should also be submitted with the application. Application materials are due by close of business on Thursday, November 21, 2019 and should be addressed to the Chair of the Commission, Ms. Lola Velazquez-Aguilu. Interviews are scheduled to be held on Friday, December 20, 2019. For inquiries concerning the application process, please contact Carl Dennis at Carl.Dennis@state.mn.us or at (651)-201-3433. Commission on Judicial Selection announces vacancy in the 2nd Judicial District FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 31, 2019 Contact: Teddy Tschann teddy.tschann@state.mn.us 651-402-8841 Commission on Judicial Selection Announces Vacancy in the Second Judicial District [ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that a judgeship vacancy is occurring in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. The vacancy will occur upon the resignation, due to his elevation to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, of the Honorable Jeffrey M. Bryan and will be chambered at Saint Paul in Ramsey County. The Commission is searching for fair, experienced, and civic-minded individuals to serve on the bench and offer their talents and services to Minnesota’s judicial system. The following qualities will be considered for judicial office: integrity, maturity, health (if job related), judicial temperament, legal knowledge, ability, experience, and community service. The application process is now open for this vacancy. An individual wishing to apply may request an application by contacting Carl Dennis, Judicial Appointments Coordinator, via e-mail atCarl.Dennis@state.mn.us. A cover letter and resume should also be submitted with the application. Application materials are due by close of business on Thursday, November 21, 2019 and should be addressed to the Chair of the Commission, Ms. Lola Velazquez-Aguilu. Interviews are scheduled to be held on Friday, December 20, 2019. For inquiries concerning the application process, please contact Carl Dennis at Carl.Dennis@state.mn.us or at (651)-201-3433.

I welcome folks to share items of interest on this site about our colleagues, even if it is on the lighter side. For example, KSTP and the Pioneer Press featured Judge Stephenson’s artistic, but frightening sideline. Judge George Stephenson is a Ramsey County Judge who has a scarier side to him not everyone realizes. Check out the links: Judge George Stephenson and Ramsey County Judge! https://www.twincities.com/2019/10/31/ramsey-county-judge-builds-monster-of-a-side-business/. James Street Referee of District Court Second Judicial District

The Minnesota Supreme Court seeks applicants for non-judicial members on the ADR Ethics Board. Non-judicial applicants should be listed on the Rule 114 Neutral’s Roster. The three-year term is January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. The Board meets on a quarterly basis on the third Wednesday afternoon of the month. The Board is responsible for administering the statewide ADR program as prescribed by Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. This includes investigating and making findings regarding complaints under the Rule 114 Code of Ethics Enforcement Procedure. Compensation is limited to reimbursement for costs of travel and lodging if necessary. Applicants interested in appointment must submit a letter of interest detailing their background and ADR experience. Licensed attorneys must include documentation of their active attorney license in good standing (i.e. screen shot from the Lawyer Registration Office portal). Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2019. Please submit application materials to AnnMarie S. O’Neill, Clerk of Appellate Courts, via e-mail atmjcappellateclerkofcourt@courts.state.mn.usor via U.S. Mail at 305 Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155. These positions are for lawyers or non-lawyers. Click here for the link to the announcement.

The AFCC held its regional conference in Pittsburgh, PA last week focusing on Integrating Research into Practice and Policy: The Impact on Families and Children. One of the great benefits of chapter membership is the ability to attend their conferences at a discounted rate. This was another great one. Pictured are Kevin Dorsey, Chapter President Jim Street and Matt Havrevold. Kevin and Matt were answering questions at the Our Family Wizard booth. In the other photo are incoming President Jennifer Joseph and national board member, Mindy Mitnick with current Chapter President Jim Street discussing serious matters at Primanti Brothers sandwich shop in Market Square in Pittsburgh. Primati Brothers are famous for their “cholesterol free” sandwiches with deli meat, French fries and coleslaw crammed into a sandwich. Jill Greenhagen from Ramsey County’s Self-Help Center also attended because the Ramsey County court system wanted to learn about the latest innovations happening around the world, although she is not pictured. Jennifer and Jim attended a leadership training with other chapter leaders around the country and Canada where they picked up many ideas of how to improve our chapter. The sessions included training on creating trauma-informed practice from the perspectives of therapists, attorneys and courts, programs focusing on parent education, developing co-parenting skills, parent coaching, parent consulting, addressing parent resistance cases, strategies for cases involving intimate family violence, how to ensure procedural justice in courts, and an opportunity to tour Pittsburgh’s revamped family and domestic abuse (Children’s) Court after they received a court wide “trauma audit” in 2014, as well as many other topics. Most break-out sessions discussed the research behind the innovative practices being discussed. This type of training is not widely available elsewhere. The next opportunity will be in boring New Orleans on May 27-30 where the conference will focus on the subject of resistance cases. The title of the conference is When a Child Rejects a Parent: Are We Part of the Problem or the Solution? This should be a great (and fun) conference and great opportunity to improve your knowledge and skills to help families. You should arrange your schedule so you can attend.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we would like to invite you to a half-day seminar where we will discuss relevant issues, topics and solutions related to domestic violence.

Effective on October 24, 2019, the Department of Human Services is offering a handy new on-line tool to calculate overnights to use on the child support calculator. The overnights calculated by the Calendar Tool will not automatically update the Guidelines Calculator. The user is instructed to manually enter the number of overnights on line 15b of the Guidelines Calculator. Here is the URL: https://mn.gov/dhs/child-support-calendar/. Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Calculator This calculator now incorporates the new parenting expense adjustment effective August 1, 2018. Beginning August 1, the new adjustment will use the number of court-ordered overnights (if available) for new support orders and cases brought for modification. If the order includes a parenting schedule but does not state the percentage of parenting time or the number of court-ordered overnights, go to the Minnesota Child Support Parenting Time Calendar Tool to calculate the number of court-ordered overnights to enter on line 15b. You may use this calculator for court orders requiring the parenting expense adjustment effective through July 31, 2018 by following the instructions posted below, before question 15. Please visit the Parenting Expense Adjustment website for more information. 1. What is Parent A’s name?2. What is Parent B’s name?3. What is the IV-D case number?4. What is the court file number?5. How many joint children are there? *** To calculate child support using a parenting expense adjustment effective through July 31, 2018, answer “no” to question 15a, leave question 15b blank, and answer “yes” to question 15c. If there is no order for parenting time or it is less than 10 percent, use 0 overnights for Parent A and 365 overnights for Parent B (per joint child) for question 15b and answer “no” for question 15c. 15a. Do you have court ordered equal parenting time? Yes No15b. What is the annual number of overnights awarded to each parent by the court? Click to add a child Go to the Minnesota Child Support Parenting Time Calendar Tool to calculate the number of court-ordered overnights. 15c. If you are unable to calculate the number of overnights awarded to each parent, do you have a current child support order with a parenting expense adjustment? Yes No

The Supreme Court issued an administrative order on October 11, 2019 providing an opportunity for anyone to provide comments in favor or against the proposed rule changes to Rule 114. The deadline is December 10, 2019. There is a hearing scheduled for January 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at the Supreme Court. The proposed changes were previously posted on our website and can be found here.

If you had attended the AFCC-MN Half-day Seminar on October 11th––you would know the answer. On that date over 60 AFCC members listened to Dallas attorney Beth Maultsby present The Personality-Disordered Litigant: Strategies for the family law processional in and out of the courtroom. “loved the topic and the ability to interact with other disciplines” “well organized, presented complex material cohesively” “best powerpoint in years and riveting speaker” Ms. Maultsby brought to the subject her diverse experience as a judge, child protection social worker, and prominent family law attorney. She offered a multi-disciplinary approach for identifying and managing the needs and limitations of these clients in high conflict cases. Those interested in obtaining a copy of her powerpoint presentation or article High Conflict Family Law Matters and Personality Disorders may contact Heidi Halvorson at afccmnwebmasters@gmail.com