Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB25 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	sb0025
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 25
8	8	D4 5lr1484
9	9	(PRE–FILED) CF HB 152
10	10	By: Senators Carozza, Waldstreicher, and West
11	11	Requested: October 30, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Family Law – Child Custody Evaluators – Qualifications 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of specifying certain qualifications for an individual to be appointed by a 3
22	22	court as a custody evaluator; and generally relating to child custody and visitation. 4
23	23
24	24	BY adding to 5
25	25	Article – Family Law 6
26	26	Section 9–109 7
27	27	Annotated Code of Maryland 8
28	28	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 9
29	29
30	30	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
31	31	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 11
32	32
33	33	Article – Family Law 12
34	34
35	35	9–109. 13
36	36
37	37	(A) IN THIS SECTION , “CUSTODY EVALUATOR ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL 14
38	38	APPOINTED OR APPROVE D BY A COURT TO PERF ORM A CUSTODY EVALUA TION. 15
39	39
40	40	(B) ON MOTION OF A PARTY OR CHILD’S COUNSEL, OR ON ITS OWN 16
41	41	INITIATIVE, A COURT MAY: 17
42	42
43	43	(1) ORDER AN ASSESSMENT TO AID THE COURT IN EVALUATING THE 18
44	44	HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELFARE OR BEST INTERESTS OF A CHILD IN A CONTESTED 19
45	45	CUSTODY OR VISITATIO N CASE; OR 20
46	46	2 SENATE BILL 25
47	47
48	48
49	49	(2) APPOINT A CUSTODY EVALU ATOR DETERMINED BY THE CO URT TO 1
50	50	BE COMPETENT TO PERFORM A HOME STUDY OR A N EVALUATION OF A SPECIFIC 2
51	51	ISSUE. 3
52	52
53	53	(C) A COURT MAY NOT ORDER THE COST OF AN ASSES SMENT TO BE PAID , IN 4
54	54	WHOLE OR IN PART , BY A PARTY WITHOUT G IVING THE PARTIES NO TICE AND AN 5
55	55	OPPORTUNITY TO OBJEC T. 6
56	56
57	57	(D) A COURT MAY NOT APPOINT AN INDIVIDUA L AS A CUSTODY EVALU ATOR 7
58	58	UNLESS THE INDIVIDUAL MEETS THE QUALIFICATIONS SPECIFIED IN SUBSECT IONS 8
59	59	(E) AND (F) OF THIS SECTION. 9
60	60
61	61	(E) A CUSTODY EVALUATOR SHALL BE: 10
62	62
63	63	(1) A PHYSICIAN LICENSED IN ANY STATE WHO IS 11
64	64	BOARD–CERTIFIED IN PSYCHIA TRY OR HAS COMPLETED A PSYCHIATRY RESIDEN CY 12
65	65	ACCREDITED BY THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL 13
66	66	EDUCATION OR A SUCCES SOR TO THAT COUNCIL ; 14
67	67
68	68	(2) A MARYLAND LICENSED PSY CHOLOGIST OR A PSYCHOLOGIST 15
69	69	WITH AN EQUIVALENT L EVEL OF LICENSURE IN ANY OTHER STATE ; 16
70	70
71	71	(3) A MARYLAND LICENSED CLI NICAL MARRIAGE AND F AMILY 17
72	72	THERAPIST OR A CLINI CAL MARRIAGE AND FAM ILY THERAPIST WITH A N 18
73	73	EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF LICENSURE IN ANY OTH ER STATE; 19
74	74
75	75	(4) A MARYLAND LICENSED CERT IFIED SOCIAL 20
76	76	WORKER–CLINICAL OR A CLINIC AL SOCIAL WORKER WIT H AN EQUIVALENT LEVE L 21
77	77	OF LICENSURE IN ANY OTHER STATE; 22
78	78
79	79	(5) (I) A MARYLAND LICENSED GRA DUATE OR MASTER SOCI AL 23
80	80	WORKER WITH AT LEAST 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN: 24
81	81
82	82	1. ONE OR MORE OF THE AREAS LIS TED IN SUBSECTION 25
83	83	(F)(4) OF THIS SECTION; 26
84	84
85	85	2. PERFORMING CUSTODY E VALUATIONS; OR 27
86	86
87	87	3. ANY COMBINATION OF THE EXPERIENCE DESCR IBED 28
88	88	IN ITEM 1 OR 2 OF THIS ITEM; OR 29
89	89
90	90	(II) A GRADUATE OR MASTER SOCIAL WORKER WITH A N 30
91	91	EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF LICENSURE A ND EXPERIENCE IN ANY OTHER STATE; OR 31 SENATE BILL 25 3
92	92
93	93
94	94
95	95	(6) A MARYLAND LICENSED CLI NICAL PROFESSIONAL C OUNSELOR 1
96	96	OR A CLINICAL PROFES SIONAL COUNSELOR WIT H AN EQUIVALENT LEVE L OF 2
97	97	LICENSURE IN ANY OTH ER STATE. 3
98	98
99	99	(F) A CUSTODY EVALUATOR SHALL HAVE: 4
100	100
101	101	(1) COMPLETED A TRAINING PROGRAM T HAT CONFORMS WITH 5
102	102	GUIDELINES ESTABLISH ED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS; 6
103	103
104	104	(2) COMPLIED WITH THE CONTINUING EDUCATIONAL 7
105	105	REQUIREMENTS OF THE CUSTODY EVALUATOR ’S FIELD; 8
106	106
107	107	(3) TRAINING OR EXPERIENCE IN OBS ERVING OR PERFORMING 9
108	108	CUSTODY EVALUATIONS ; AND 10
109	109
110	110	(4) CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AN D EXPERIENCE IN DEAL ING WITH 11
111	111	ALLEGATIONS IN THE F OLLOWING AREAS : 12
112	112
113	113	(I) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ; 13
114	114
115	115	(II) CHILD NEGLECT AND AB USE; 14
116	116
117	117	(III) TRAUMA AND ITS IMPAC T ON CHILDREN AND ADULTS ; 15
118	118
119	119	(IV) FAMILY CONFLICT AND DYNAMICS; 16
120	120
121	121	(V) CHILD AND ADULT DEVE LOPMENT; AND 17
122	122
123	123	(VI) THE IMPACT OF DIVORC E AND SEPARATION ON CHILDREN 18
124	124	AND ADULTS. 19
125	125
126	126	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 20
127	127	1, 2025. 21
128	128