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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Republican state Rep. and congressional hopeful LaVar Christensen is lobbying legislators to override the governor's veto of his bill limiting a judge's ability to consider the best interests of a child when determining custody or visitation.
House Bill 148 was intended to block same-sex couples' ability to legally define their families through custody agreements. It would allow biological parents alone to determine who could have access to their children.
In his veto message, Gov. Jon Huntsman said that in some cases, third parties-- such as step parents, grandparents or gay partners -- might have been involved in raising the child since infancy.
"The biological parent's right to exercise that authority unilaterally -- casting aside bonds that have been created over the course of many years without so much as a hearing to determine what might be in the best interests of the child -- would trump all other considerations unless the biological parent had previously "been adjudicated as an unfit parent," Huntsman wrote.
"Giving such parents an absolute right to terminate a child's relationship with a step parent standing in loco parentis would be a mistake. I must therefore veto this bill," he said, adding that he hoped the concerns addressed by the bill's supporters could be addressed in a future legislative session.
Christensen, who is running to replace U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, contends the governor's worries are unfounded.
In an e-mail sent to his 103 colleagues last week, the Draper representative said, "This is a public policy decision regarding marriage, parenthood and family that is most appropriately decided by the Legislature."
The bill passed the House with a veto-proof majority, but passed the Senate with a bare majority.
Senate President John Valentine said Christensen's bill was unlikely to get sufficient votes in the Senate.
"That bill came up so late and was walking up to the floor at a very inopportune time," he said. "It would be hard to get it through the Senate on a veto override."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
