SB 1026 - This act modifies the factors a court shall consider when awarding custody to parents, including the willingness and ability of parents to cooperate in the rearing of their child; the child's physical, educational, and other needs; the mental health or substance use history experienced by either parent; the history of domestic and child abuse of any individuals involved; the distance between the residences of the parents; and the reasonable input of the child as to the child's custodial arrangement.

Additionally, this act modifies the definition of "joint legal custody" from an order awarding parents significant, but not necessarily equal, periods of time with a child to an order awarding parents substantially equal periods of time with the child.

Finally, this act modifies the rebuttable presumption that an award of approximately equal parenting time to each parent is in the best interests of the child to an award of substantially equal parenting time to each parent is in the best interests of the child.

This act is similar to provisions of the perfected SS/SCS/SB 129 (2023).

SARAH HASKINS