Bills › 91st General Assembly
Allowing a court to grant a grandparent or great-grandparent visitation rights of a child in certain circumstances
Sponsored by Rep. Ray Sorensen (R)
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 18, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 18, 2026
- Stopped: House committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Grandparents or great-grandparents could ask a court for visitation rights with a child if one parent has died. Currently, the court can only grant these rights if the surviving parent is unfit or unable to make good decisions. This bill removes those specific requirements about the surviving parent's ability to make decisions.1
Read the official explanation
Under current law, if a parent of a child is deceased, a court may enter an order granting visitation rights with the child to the child’s grandparent or great-grandparent (grandparent) if the court finds such visitation is in the child’s best interests; the grandparent and the child have a substantial established relationship prior to the grandparent petitioning for visitation rights; and the surviving parent is either unfit to make a decision regarding such visitation or the parent’s judgment has been impaired and the benefits the child would receive from visitation greatly outweigh the effects such visitation would have on the child’s parent-child relationship. This bill eliminates the requirement that a parent must be unfit to make a decision regarding grandparent visitation or that the parent’s judgment must be impaired and the benefits the child would receive from visitation greatly outweigh the effects such visitation would have on the child’s parent-child relationship.
House subcommittee
Named February 18, 2026. Meeting: Thursday, February 19 · 8:15 AM · House Lounge.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Similar bills
- HF 2423 Allowing a court to grant a grandparent or great-grandparent visitation rights of a child …91st General Assembly · In committeeNearly identical
Matched by wording or an identical title.