Ohio House OKs bill enhancing visitation rights for grandparents

COLUMBUS -- Grandparents in Ohio may not lose visitation rights even when a stepparent adopts a child.
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday that would give judges the ability to grant visitation rights to grandparents even after a child is adopted by a stepparent.
"The court should have the discretion to make the appropriate decision for all children whose lives come before them regardless of the marital status of the parents," said Stephen Buehrer, R-Delta.
Buehrer, who sponsored the legislation, said current law allows limited opportunities to grant visitation or companionship after a stepparent adoption. He said courts can grant grandparent visitation rights only to children whose parents are deceased, but cannot grant or even consider granting those rights if the divorced parent is living or if the parents were not married.
He said the legislation is designed to treat children of different situations the same when it comes to the court's granting visitation rights.
The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for consideration.