Parental Rights Measure, On Nov Ballot

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger has approved for the ballot an initiated measure on parental rights.
 
     Jaeger says supporters needed to submit 13,452 valid petition signatures, and they submitted 1,000 more than the required amount. He says the measure will appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
 
     The proposed law would give both parents equal rights and decision-making responsibilities in child custody cases.  A similar measure failed in 2006.
 
     Many supporters of the initiated measure are from Walsh County, where voters passed a similar law in 2012 that has been challenged by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem as usurping state authority.