Rep. Conrad JamesSTATE News:
SANTA FE ― House Bill 120, sponsored by Rep. Conrad James, unanimously passed the House of Representatives yesterday. The legislation would ensure that adult children have the right to visit their elderly and ill parents even if they are under the care of another person.
“This bill will support the visitation rights of adult children with ailing parents, and I’m encouraged by its passage,” James said. “We need to take this step to clarify the law and protect the rights of children to maintain a relationship with their parents in their final days.”
This bill creates a civil proceeding within the existing statute for an adult child to petition a court for visitation with an elderly parent who does not live with the adult child, while balancing the interests of the adult child and of the elderly parent.
The legislation was inspired by the case of Kerri Kasem, who was unable to visit her father, radio personality Casey Kasem, after he was moved from California to a nursing home in Nevada and then Washington without his children being notified or providing consent. Kasem has been working with legislatures across the country to pass legislation like HB 120 to prevent situations like hers from happening to anyone else. Similar bills have been passed into law in California, Texas and Iowa.
“I appreciate the efforts of the Kasem Cares Foundation and all the advocates who have worked tirelessly on this important piece of legislation,” James said. “This is a courageous step towards providing the relief that frustrated family members deserve under these difficult circumstances.”
