Bill
Bill > HF2423
IA HF2423
IA HF2423A bill for an act allowing a court to grant a grandparent or great-grandparent visitation rights of a child in certain circumstances.
summary
Introduced
02/12/2026
02/12/2026
In Committee
02/12/2026
02/12/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
91st General Assembly
Bill Summary
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.
AI Summary
This bill modifies existing law regarding grandparent visitation rights when a parent has passed away. Currently, a court can grant visitation to a grandparent or great-grandparent if the child's parent is deceased, and the court finds that visitation is in the child's best interest, the grandparent and child have an established relationship, and the surviving parent is either unfit to decide on visitation or their judgment is impaired to the point where the benefits of visitation significantly outweigh any negative impact on the parent-child relationship. This bill removes the requirement that the surviving parent must be unfit or have impaired judgment, and also eliminates the need to prove that the benefits of visitation greatly outweigh the potential negative effects on the parent-child relationship, simplifying the criteria for granting grandparent visitation in these specific circumstances.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Introduced, referred to Judiciary. H.J. 273. (on 02/12/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2423 |
| BillText | https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/attachments/HF2423.html |
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