TALLAHASSEE — A proposal that would create the legal presumption that divorcing parents should have equal child sharing duties may complicate the Legislature’s latest attempt to overhaul Florida’s alimony laws.

The Senate on Thursday began the debate on Sen. Tom Lee’s bill (SB 250) that would start each divorce or child custody case on the basis that child-sharing should be a 50-50 arrangement.

“Both parents are equally situated and equally qualified and equally entitled to present to the court the argument that they should have 50 percent of the time with the child,” said Lee, a Brandon Republican and chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Under Lee’s bill, child sharing would equally split between the parents, with the ability of the judge to modify that arrangement based on some 22 factors, including issues like the child’s preference, travel time, school activities and the parent’s requested time.

Senators raised a number of questions, including a provision that could potentially penalize step-parents who technically would be defined as “non-relatives” under the legislation. Lee said he was willing to eliminate that proposal if it makes the bill more viable.

Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Coconut Grove, said she feared the measure would add “another layer of aggravation for both the husband and the wife in many cases that are resolved.”

Lee, who is divorced and remarried, said the bill would not have any retroactive impact and, like the main alimony bill, is aimed at reducing litigation and court time.

A similar child-sharing provision is included in the Senate’s main alimony reform bill (SB 668), sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.

However, House leaders, including Rules Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, have objected to linking the child-sharing provision to the alimony legislation, which would eliminate permanent alimony and create a new formula for awarding the payments based on the length of the marriage.

The House alimony bill (HB 455), sponsored by Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, is ready for a floor vote. Burton’s bill does not include the child-sharing provision, which has also drawn opposition from groups like The Florida Bar’s Family Law Section.

Stargel, whose bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 6-4 vote this week, said the issue of child-sharing remains part of the negotiations as the Senate and House try to find an agreement on the alimony legislation, which was passed in 2013 but vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott because of its “retroactive” impact on existing alimony and custody cases.

“The two issues are linked,” Stargel said. “So I’m trying to see if we can accomplish the goal of the concerns Sen. Lee is trying to address and at the same time address the concerns I’ve had with alimony.”

Stargel said with three weeks left in the 2016 session, it is too early to declare the alimony and child-sharing legislation dead because of the current House-Senate standoff.

“Our common goal for all of us is just reduce litigation and do the right thing for families,” Stargel said.

Dealing with divorce laws

The House and Senate are at odds over including a child-sharing provision in their current effort to revamp Florida’s alimony laws.

— The Senate on Thursday began debate on bill (SB 250) that would create the legal presumption that child sharing should be equal in every divorce or child custody case.

— The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, would allow a judge to modify the 50-50 child sharing arrangement based on an evaluation of 22 factors, including each parent’s stated preference of time.

— House leaders have objected to including the child-sharing proposal as part of the overall alimony legislation.

— Both the House and Senate are moving bills to eliminate permanent alimony and other types of alimony, including durational and rehabilitative alimony, creating only one type of post-dissolution alimony.

— The alimony bills (HB 455, SB 668) establish a formula for setting ranges on alimony, with larger awards going to marriages of 20 years or more. Alimony would not be granted, in most cases, to marriages of less than two years.

— Nearly 80,000 Florida marriages ended in 2014, according to the state Department Health. Divorces are down from a peak of 85,955 in 2006.