Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1165 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 EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1165
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1165
8	8	D4 5lr2756
9	9	HB 1307/24 – JUD
10	10	By: Delegates Phillips, Patterson, and Woods
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Family Law – Child Custody and Visitation – Visitation Reevaluations and 2
19	19	Remedies 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing a parent to petition a court for an emergency hearing to 4
22	22	reevaluate a visitation schedule under certain circumstances; requiring and 5
23	23	authorizing a court to take certain actions as a result of a parent’s failure to comply 6
24	24	with a court–ordered visitation schedule; and generally relating to child custody and 7
25	25	visitation. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Family Law 10
29	29	Section 9–109 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Family Law 16
37	37
38	38	9–109. 17
39	39
40	40	(A) (1) IF A PARENT FAILS TO COMP LY WITH A COURT –ORDERED 18
41	41	VISITATION SCHEDULE WITHOUT JUST CAUSE , THE OTHER PARENT MAY PETITION 19
42	42	THE COURT FOR AN EME RGENCY REEVALUATION OF THE VISITATION SC HEDULE. 20
43	43
44	44	(2) IF THE COURT DETERMIN ES THAT A PETITION I S IN ORDER, THE 21
45	45	COURT SHAL L HOLD AN EMERGENCY HEARING WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER THE 22
46	46	PETITION HAS BEEN FI LED. 23
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1165
48	48
49	49
50	50	(B) THE COURT: 1
51	51
52	52	(1) SHALL: 2
53	53
54	54	(I) CALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF VISITATION TIME 3
55	55	IMPROPERLY DENIED TO THE PETITIONER ; 4
56	56
57	57	(II) AWARD THE PETITIONER EXTRA TIME IN AN AMO UNT 5
58	58	SUFFICIENT TO COMPENSATE ANY MISSED VISITATION TI ME UNDER THE VISITAT ION 6
59	59	AGREEMENT ; 7
60	60
61	61	(III) SCHEDULE ANY EXTRA T IME AWARDED UNDER IT EM (II) OF 8
62	62	THIS ITEM IN A MANNE R THAT IS: 9
63	63
64	64	1. CONSISTENT WITH THE BEST INTERESTS OF TH E 10
65	65	CHILD; 11
66	66
67	67	2. CONVENIENT FOR THE P ETITIONER; AND 12
68	68
69	69	3. AT THE EXPENSE OF TH E NONCOMPLIANT PAREN T; 13
70	70	AND 14
71	71
72	72	(IV) ORDER THE NONCOMPLIA NT PARENT TO PAY COU RT COSTS 15
73	73	AND REASONABLE ATTOR NEY’S FEES INCURRED BY T HE PETITIONER IN THE EFFORT 16
74	74	TO ENFORCE THE VISIT ATION SCHEDULE ; 17
75	75
76	76	(2) MAY ORDER THE NONCOM PLIANT PARENT TO : 18
77	77
78	78	(I) ATTEND A COURT –APPROVED PARENTING C OURSE; 19
79	79
80	80	(II) PERFORM COMMUNITY SE RVICE, IF THE COMMUNITY 20
81	81	SERVICE WILL NOT INT ERFERE WITH THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHI LD; AND 21
82	82
83	83	(III) ASSUME THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF ENSURING 22
84	84	THAT THE COURT –ORDERED VISITATION S CHEDULE IS MAINTAINE D WHEN THE 23
85	85	NONCOMPLIANT PARENT AND CHILD LIVE MORE THAN 20 MILES FROM THE 24
86	86	PETITIONER; 25
87	87
88	88	(3) MAY, ON THE REQUEST OF TH E PETITIONER , MODIFY THE 26
89	89	VISITATION SCHEDULE IF THE COURT FIND S THAT A MODIFICATIO N WOULD BE IN 27
90	90	THE BEST INTERESTS O F THE CHILD; AND 28
91	91
92	92	(4) MAY IMPOSE ANY OTHER REASONABLE SANCTION . 29 HOUSE BILL 1165 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES AN ORDER OF THE COUR T UNDER 1
97	97	SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION MAY BE HELD IN CONTEMPT OF COURT. 2
98	98
99	99	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
100	100	October 1, 2025. 4
101	101