In addition, judges currently must take into consideration the wishes of the child and the parties, the relationship of each parent with the child, the amount and quality of time each parent has previously spent with the child, the child’s adjustment to home, school and community and cooperation and communication between the parents.

Steve Blake, head of the Oxford-based Dads of Wisconsin, said the bill seeks to ensure children have equal time with both parents, where feasible.

“We want the state to protect both dads’ and moms’ rights equally,” Blake said, “and an acknowledgement from the state of Wisconsin that fathers and mothers are equally important in the life of the child.”

In a brief interview, Kleefisch said, “The real push is to equalize fathers’ role in divorces, and child custody and child support.”

Tony Gibart, public policy coordinator for End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, said no other state has a presumption that children will spend equal time with each parent after a split. AB 540, he said, would “create barriers for victims of domestic violence and their children, and make it much more difficult for judges to create safe placements for children and domestic-abuse victims.”