General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 6638
January Session, 2017 LCO No. 760
*00760*
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
REP. GONZALEZ, 3rd Dist.
General Assembly
Proposed Bill No. 6638
January Session, 2017
LCO No. 760
*00760*
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
REP. GONZALEZ, 3rd Dist.
AN ACT CONCERNING LEGAL DISPUTES INVOLVING THE CARE AND CUSTODY OF MINOR CHILDREN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That chapter 815j of the general statutes be amended to: (1) Provide that when a court finds that one parent is engaged in behavior that constitutes parental alienation, such a finding shall be grounds for a change in the custodial arrangement; (2) provide that a guardian ad litem shall not be entitled to any form of immunity for services provided in a family relations matter; (3) prohibit a guardian ad litem from addressing the court on behalf of a health care professional; (4) ensure that a party to a family relations matter retains the right to select a health care professional of his or her choice; and (5) ensure that family court judges no longer engage in enforcement of debt obligations for court appointees or court-approved services; (6) provide that in a custody or parenting time dispute between parents, the court shall order joint custody unless the court determines by clear and convincing evidence that a parent is unfit, unwilling, or unable to care for the child, provided a parent may only be determined to be unfit under this subdivision if a parent's parental rights are subject to termination; (7) provide that in a custody dispute between parents, the court shall state on the record the reasons for not awarding joint custody; (8) provide that if the parents agree in writing to a custody arrangement, the court shall grant that custody arrangement unless a parent is found by clear and convincing evidence to be unfit; (9) provide that if the court awards joint custody, the court shall issue a specific parenting time schedule for each parent and shall provide that (A) physical custody be shared by the parents for specific and substantially equal periods of time, (B) the child shall reside alternately for specific and substantially equal periods of time with each of the parents, and (C) the parents share decision-making authority as to all of the important decisions affecting the welfare of the child, including, but not limited to, the child's education, religious training, and medical treatment; and (10) prohibit a guardian ad litem from billing a parent for time spent at lunch, when the time spent at lunch does not include work on a particular case.
Statement of Purpose:
To establish new statutory requirements and Superior Court procedures in legal disputes involving the care and custody of minor children.