A legislative panel on Wednesday put its stamp of approval on a bill that would make some significant changes to North Dakota child custody laws.

The Judicial Process Committee unanimously approved a bill that would require parents going through child custody proceedings to draft a "parenting plan," which would set in stone how a child is raised, what to do in case of an emergency and where the child will live, among other parenting decisions.

If the parents are unable to agree on a parenting plan, the court will draft one instead.

Supporters of the bill say such a plan could cut down on time spent in court for many parents by making clear from the get-go what the terms are for parenting responsibilities.

"It's not a perfect system, but it improves on what we have," said Sen. Tom Fiebiger, D-Fargo, who sat on a task force addressing child custody laws in North Dakota for the past year.

Rep. Shirley Meyer, D-Dickinson, said North Dakota child custody laws have unfairly treated parents, and consequently children, giving reason for the new legislation.

The new law also changes the wording of many traditional child custody terms. For example, "custody" is now referred to as "parental rights and responsibilities" and "visitation" is now "residential responsibility."

The committee also moved forward on another bill that, if passed next session, would give parents with revoked drivers licenses because of missed child support payments the ability to apply for temporary drivers licenses in order to work.

Meyer said many parents rely on their ability to drive in order to make money to make those payments, most notably truck drivers.

"If you can't work, there's no way you can afford this," Meyer said.