Bill > S63

This bill proposes to amend Chapter 208 of the General Laws by adding a new section, 31B, which aims to protect parents' custody, visitation, or contact rights with their children when they have a good faith belief, supported by facts, that their child is a victim of child abuse, child neglect, or the effects of domestic violence, and they act lawfully to protect the child or seek treatment. Specifically, a parent will not lose or have their custody, visitation, or contact restricted solely because of this belief or their reasonable actions taken based on it. If an allegation of child abuse is proven by a preponderance of the evidence (meaning it is more likely than not true), the court must consider this evidence when deciding on visitation arrangements that are in the child's best interest, and the court is prohibited from placing a child with a parent who poses a substantial risk of harm, with the court required to explain how these findings influenced its decision.