Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1307 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1307
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1307
8	8	D4 4lr2686
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Phillips, Toles, Lehman, J. Long, Roberson, Taveras, Taylor, and
11	11	Young
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2024
13	13	Assigned to: Judiciary
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Family Law – Child Custody and Visitation – Visitation Reevaluations and 2
20	20	Remedies 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of authorizing a parent to petition a court for an emergency hearing to 4
23	23	reevaluate a visitation schedule under certain circumstances; requiring and 5
24	24	authorizing a court to take certain actions as a result of a parent’s failure to comply 6
25	25	with a court–ordered visitation schedule; and generally relating to child custody and 7
26	26	visitation. 8
27	27
28	28	BY adding to 9
29	29	Article – Family Law 10
30	30	Section 9–109 11
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
32	32	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 13
33	33
34	34	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
35	35	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
36	36
37	37	Article – Family Law 16
38	38
39	39	9–109. 17
40	40
41	41	(A) (1) IF A PARENT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH A COURT–ORDERED 18
42	42	VISITATION SCHEDULE WITHOUT JUST CAUSE , THE OTHER PARENT MAY PETITION 19
43	43	THE COURT FOR AN EMERGENCY R EEVALUATION OF THE VI SITATION SCHEDULE . 20
44	44
45	45	(2) IF THE COURT DETERMIN ES THAT A PETITION I S IN ORDER, THE 21
46	46	COURT SHALL HOLD AN EMERGENCY HEARING WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER THE 22
47	47	PETITION HAS BEEN FILED. 23 2 HOUSE BILL 1307
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(B) THE COURT: 1
52	52
53	53	(1) SHALL: 2
54	54
55	55	(I) CALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF VISITA TION TIME 3
56	56	IMPROPERLY DENIED TO THE PETITIONER; 4
57	57
58	58	(II) AWARD THE PETITION ER EXTRA TIME IN AN AMO UNT 5
59	59	SUFFICIENT TO COMPEN SATE ANY MISSED VISITATIO N TIME UNDER THE VISITATION 6
60	60	AGREEMENT ; 7
61	61
62	62	(III) SCHEDULE ANY EXTRA TIME AWARDED U NDER ITEM (II) OF 8
63	63	THIS ITEM IN A MANNER THAT IS : 9
64	64
65	65	1. CONSISTENT WITH THE BEST INTERESTS OF TH E 10
66	66	CHILD; 11
67	67
68	68	2. CONVENIENT FOR THE P ETITIONER; AND 12
69	69
70	70	3. AT THE EXPENSE OF TH E NONCOMPLIANT PAREN T; 13
71	71	AND 14
72	72
73	73	(IV) ORDER THE NONCOMPLIANT PARENT TO PAY COURT COSTS 15
74	74	AND REASONABLE ATTOR NEY’S FEES INCURRED BY T HE PETITIONER IN THE EFFOR T 16
75	75	TO ENFORCE THE VISIT ATION SCHEDULE ; 17
76	76
77	77	(2) MAY ORDER THE NONCOMPLIANT PARENT TO: 18
78	78
79	79	(I) ATTEND A COURT –APPROVED PARENTING C OURSE; 19
80	80
81	81	(II) PERFORM COMMUNITY SE RVICE, IF THE COMMUNITY 20
82	82	SERVICE WILL NOT INT ERFERE WITH THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD; AND 21
83	83
84	84	(III) ASSUME THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF EN SURING 22
85	85	THAT THE COURT–ORDERED VISITATION S CHEDULE IS MAINTAINED WHEN THE 23
86	86	NONCOMPLIANT PARENT AND CHILD LIV E MORE THAN 20 MILES FROM THE 24
87	87	PETITIONER; 25
88	88
89	89	(3) MAY, ON THE REQUEST OF TH E PETITIONER, MODIFY THE 26
90	90	VISITATION SCHEDULE IF THE COURT FINDS T HAT A MODIFICATION W OULD BE IN 27
91	91	THE BEST INTERESTS O F THE CHILD; AND 28
92	92	HOUSE BILL 1307 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(4) MAY IMPOSE ANY OTHER REASONABLE SANCTION . 1
96	96
97	97	(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES AN ORDER OF THE COUR T UNDER 2
98	98	SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION MAY BE HELD IN CONTE MPT OF COURT . 3
99	99
100	100	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 4
101	101	October 1, 2024. 5