Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to requirements for a parent to obtain joint physical custody of a child
Sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee
Topics:Courts & civil law
Same legislation: HSB 300
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedMarch 5, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeMarch 5, 2025
- Done: House committeeMarch 6, 2025
- Done: Passes the HouseMarch 27, 202584–9
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- 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 When parents are getting divorced, they must now submit a plan for how they will share time with their child. If a judge decides not to give a parent joint physical custody, the judge must list exactly what that parent needs to do to earn it later. The parent who keeps the child cannot intentionally get in the way of the other parent meeting those requirements.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to requirements for a parent to obtain joint physical custody of a child. Under current law, a court may require parents awarded joint legal custody of a child in a dissolution of marriage proceeding to submit a proposed joint physical care parenting plan. The bill requires the parents to submit a proposed joint physical care parenting plan. If a court denies a request for joint physical care of a child, the bill requires the court to list the requirements the parent who was not awarded physical care of a child must meet to be awarded joint physical care of the child in the future. A parent’s fulfillment of the listed requirements shall be considered a material and substantial change in circumstances for the purposes of modifying an order awarding child custody. The bill prohibits the parent awarded physical care of the child from intentionally impeding the other parent from fulfilling the listed requirements.
Why it matters. Parents involved in divorce proceedings would be required to submit a proposed joint physical care parenting plan to the court. If a parent is denied joint physical care, the court must list specific requirements they must meet to qualify for it in the future, and the parent with physical care cannot intentionally block them from meeting those requirements. Meeting these listed requirements would count as a material and substantial change in circumstances for future custody modification requests.2
Changed since by amendment H-1209; see Amendments.
Senate subcommittee
Named April 1, 2025. It hasn’t reported yet.
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
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91st General Assembly