Bill > H1329

This bill, concerning shared parenting in divorce cases, aims to establish a presumption of shared legal and physical custody for both parents of a minor child upon filing for divorce, unless there are emergency conditions, abuse, or neglect, or if a judge makes written findings that shared custody would harm the child. It removes a previous provision that allowed courts to consider a child's living conditions as a factor in custody decisions and replaces it with a public policy statement emphasizing the importance of frequent and continuing contact with both parents. The bill also clarifies that a change in a parent's availability or a child's developmental stage can be considered a substantial change in circumstances for modifying custody arrangements, and it ensures that shared custody implementation plans do not diminish the presumption of joint custody or the child's right to contact with both parents.