House panel advances ‘good dad bill’ giving fathers clearer paths to parental rights

A bill that would help eager dads secure parental rights over their children is advancing in the House after clearing its first House hurdle with uniform praise.

Members of the House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted unanimously for the measure (HB 663), which aims to remove barriers between fathers and their biological children.

“This is not the deadbeat dad bill,” said Miami Gardens Democratic Rep. Christopher Benjamin, the measure’s sponsor. “This is the good dad bill.”

Benjamin, who last year successfully sponsored related legislation enabling unwed fathers to gain paternal rights with the mother’s consent, said HB 663 is meant to further modernize Florida’s parental laws.