A proposed state bill aims to expand who can visit kids of divorced parents.

The bill was discussed Thursday in Lincoln; it’s the first of its kind since 1986.

Currently in Nebraska grandparents are the only ones allowed to ask the courts to visit a child if their parents have died or divorced. This bill would expand visitation rights to anyone with a vested interest in the child. That could mean grandparent, great -grandparent, former step- parents and other family members.

"They have to do two Christmases, two Easters and they are mostly affected because they don't get to be with both parents at the same time,” Kate Hrnicek said.

Hrnicek is a divorced mother, with three children; Thursday her family spent the evening making Valentine's for an upcoming school party. Hrnicek explained that quality time together, is precious.

"I think about my own schedule and my work schedule and working together with somebody who I divorced, we didn't get along and that is complicated enough. Now you add another entity into that and there is utter chaos,” Hrnicek said.

Angela Dunne is a veteran divorce attorney and understands the purpose behind the bill -- trying to rebuild the family unit -- but Dunne says that's not a job for the courts.

"I think it's stepping too far down what we in the legal world call a slippery slope, if you open that up to have the courts making the decision about who and when people should be involved in children's lives beyond the parents,” Dunne said.

With nearly 50% of all marriages ending in divorce, Hrnicek says there is already too much stress on the kids involved. "I think about my own schedule and my work schedule and working together with somebody who I divorced, we didn't get along and that is complicated enough. Now you add another entity into that and there is utter chaos,” Hrnicek said.

Chaos is the enemy of normalcy the mother explains.

"Kids need predictability, they need organization, they need comfort and that doesn't come with adding a home here and a home here and home there and a home there,” Hrnicek said.

State Senator Brad Ashford says he proposed the bill because family life for children has crumbled over the past 30 years. Ashford says this bill is part of a larger package aimed at fixing that.