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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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57	57	SENATE BILL 495 By: Bullard
58	58
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
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65	65	An Act relating to child custody; amending 43 O.S.
66	66	2021, Section 112, which relates to care and custody
67	67	of children; requiring court to consider certain
68	68	factors; requiring hearing upon certain allegation;
69	69	requiring court to make determination and enter
70	70	findings; setting deadline for evidentiary hearing
71	71	upon certain pleading; authorizing certain emergency
72	72	orders; prohibiting denial or restr iction of custody
73	73	or visitation for certain reasonable and good -faith
74	74	actions; requiring award of sole custody and
75	75	suspension of visitation upon certain findings;
76	76	prohibiting refusal to consider certain evidence;
77	77	authorizing court to order payment of certa in costs
78	78	and fees; updating statutory language; and providing
79	79	an effective date.
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85	85	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
86	86	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 43 O.S. 2021, Section 112, is
87	87	amended to read as follows:
88	88	Section 112. A. A petition or cross -petition for a divorce,
89	89	legal separation, or annulment must shall state whether or not the
90	90	parties have minor children of the marriage. If there are minor
91	91	children of the marriage, the court:
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143	143	1. Shall make provision fo r guardianship, custody, medical
144	144	care, support and education of the children;
145	145	2. Unless not in the best interests of the children, may
146	146	provide for the visitation of the noncustodial parent with any of
147	147	the children of the noncustodial parent; and
148	148	3. May modify or change any order whenever circumstances render
149	149	the change proper eith er before or after final judgment in the
150	150	action; provided, that the amount of the periodic child support
151	151	payment shall not be modified retroactively or payment of all or a
152	152	portion of the past due amount waived, except by mutual agreement of
153	153	the obligor and obligee, or if the obligee has assigned child
154	154	support rights to the Department of Human Services or other entity,
155	155	by agreement of the Department or other entity. Unless the par ties
156	156	agree to the contrary, a completed child support computation form
157	157	provided for in Section 120 of this title shall be required to be
158	158	filed with the child support order.
159	159	The social security numbers of both parents and the child shall
160	160	be included on the child support order summary form provided for in
161	161	Section 120 of this title, which shall be submitted to the Central
162	162	Case Registry as provided for in Section 112A of this title with all
163	163	child support or paternity orders.
164	164	B. In any action in which there are minor unmarried children in
165	165	awarding or modifying the custody of the child or in appointing a
166	166	general guardian for the child, the court shall be guided by the
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218	218	provisions of Section 112.5 of this title and shall consider what
219	219	appears to be in the best inte rests of the child.
220	220	C. In awarding or modifying custody or visitation of a child,
221	221	if a party to the action alleges that the other party has committed
222	222	an act of child abuse against the child, or committed an act of
223	223	domestic violence against the party makin g the allegation or a
224	224	family or household member of either party, the court sh all, before
225	225	considering any other best interest factors, hear and determine upon
226	226	competent admissible evidence the allegations set forth and enter
227	227	findings regarding any child ab use or domestic violence. The
228	228	evidentiary hearing for such determination shall be held within
229	229	sixty (60) days of the filing of a verified pleading; provided,
230	230	however, the court may issue any necessary emergency orders to
231	231	protect the child. If a parent ma kes a good-faith allegation based
232	232	on a reasonable belief supported by facts th at the child is the
233	233	victim of child abuse or the effects of domestic violence, and if
234	234	that parent acts lawfully and in good faith in response to that
235	235	reasonable belief to protect the child or seek treatment for the
236	236	child, then that parent shall not be deprived of custody,
237	237	visitation, or contact with the child, or restricted in custody,
238	238	visitation, or contact, based solely on that belief or the
239	239	reasonable actions taken based on tha t belief. If the court finds a
240	240	pattern of child abuse or domestic violence by a parent, the court
241	241	shall award sole custody of the child to the non -offending parent or
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293	293	party and shall suspend visitation or award only supervised
294	294	visitation to the parent eng aged in a pattern of abusive or violent
295	295	behavior. If the court finds that a party has not engaged in a
296	296	pattern of child abuse or domestic violence, the court may not
297	297	refuse to consider additional evidence of child abuse or domestic
298	298	violence presented late r in the case. Upon a finding that a parent
299	299	has committed child abuse or dome stic violence, the court may order
300	300	payment by the offending parent of court costs and fees including ,
301	301	but not limited to, attorney and expert fees that are incurred by
302	302	the non-offending parent to prepare for and participate in the
303	303	evidentiary hearing.
304	304	D. 1. When it is in the best interests of a minor unmarried
305	305	child, the court shall:
306	306	a. assure children of frequent and continuing contact
307	307	with both parents after the parents have s eparated or
308	308	dissolved their marriage, and
309	309	b. encourage parents to share the ri ghts and
310	310	responsibilities of child rearing in order to effect
311	311	this policy.
312	312	2. There shall be neither a legal preference nor a presumption
313	313	for or against joint legal custody, joi nt physical custody, or sole
314	314	custody.
315	315	3. When in the best interests of the child, custody shall be
316	316	awarded in a way which assures the frequent and continuing contact
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368	368	of the child with both parents. When awarding custody to either
369	369	parent, the court:
370	370	a. shall consider, among other facts, which parent is
371	371	more likely to allow the chil d or children frequent
372	372	and continuing contact with the noncustodial parent,
373	373	and
374	374	b. shall not prefer a parent as a custodian of the child
375	375	because of the gender of that parent.
376	376	4. In any action, there shall be neither a legal preference or
377	377	nor a presumption for or against private or public school or home -
378	378	schooling in awarding the custody of a child, or in appointing a
379	379	general guardian for the child.
380	380	5. Notwithstanding any custody determination made pursuant to
381	381	the Oklahoma Children ’s Code, when a parent of a child is required
382	382	to be separated from a child due to military service, the court
383	383	shall not enter a final order modifying an existing custody order
384	384	until such time as the paren t has completed the term of duty
385	385	requiring separation. For purposes of this paragraph:
386	386	a. in the case of a parent who is a member of the Army,
387	387	Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, the term
388	388	“military service” means a combat deployment,
389	389	contingency operation, or natural disaster requiring
390	390	the use of orders that do not permit any family member
391	391	to accompany the member,
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443	443	b. in the case of a parent who is a member of the
444	444	National Guard, the term “military service” means
445	445	service under a call to active ser vice authorized by
446	446	the President of the United States or the Secretary of
447	447	Defense for a period of more than thirty (30)
448	448	consecutive days under 32 U.S.C. 502(f) for purposes
449	449	of responding to a national emergency declared by the
450	450	President and supported by fe deral funds. “Military
451	451	service” shall include any period during which a
452	452	member is absent from duty on account of sickness,
453	453	wounds, leave or other lawful cause, and
454	454	c. the court may enter a temporary custody or visitation
455	455	order pursuant to the requirements of the Deployed
456	456	Parents Custody and Visitation Act.
457	457	6. In making an order for custody, the court shall require
458	458	compliance with Section 112.3 of this title.
459	459	D. E. 1. Except for good cause shown, a pattern of failure to
460	460	allow court-ordered visitation may be determined to be contrary to
461	461	the best interests of the child and as such m ay be grounds for
462	462	modification of the child custody order.
463	463	2. For any action brought pursuant to the provisions of this
464	464	section which the court determines to be contrary to the best
465	465	interests of the child, the prevailing party shall be entitled to
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517	517	recover court costs, attorney fees and any other reasonable costs
518	518	and expenses incurred with the action.
519	519	E. F. Except as otherwise provided by Section 112.1A of this
520	520	title, any child shall be entitled to support by the parents until
521	521	the child reaches eighteen (1 8) years of age. If a child is
522	522	regularly enrolled in and attending high school, as set forth in
523	523	Section 11-103.6 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, other means
524	524	of high school education, or an alternative high school education
525	525	program as a full-time student, the child shall be entitled to
526	526	support by the parents until the child graduates from high school or
527	527	until the age of twenty (20) years, whichever occurs first. Full -
528	528	time attendance shall include regularly scheduled breaks from the
529	529	school year. No hearing or further order is required to extend
530	530	support pursuant to this subsection after the child reaches the age
531	531	of eighteen (18) years.
532	532	F. G. In any case in which provision is made for the custody or
533	533	support of a minor child or enforcement of such order and before
534	534	hearing the matter or signing any orders, the court shall inquire
535	535	whether public assistance money or medical support has been provided
536	536	by the Department of Human Serv ices, hereafter referred to as the
537	537	Department, for the benefit of each child. If public assistance
538	538	money, medical support, or child support services under the state
539	539	child support plan as provided in Section 237 of Title 56 of the
540	540	Oklahoma Statutes have be en provided for the benefit of the child,
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592	592	the Department shall be a necessary party for the adjudication of
593	593	the debt due to the State of Oklahoma, as defined in Section 238 of
594	594	Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and for the adjudication of
595	595	paternity, child support, and medical insurance coverage for the
596	596	minor children in accordance w ith federal regulations. When an
597	597	action is filed, the petitioner shall give the Department notice of
598	598	the action according to Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma
599	599	Statutes. The Department shall not be required to intervene in the
600	600	action to have standing to appear and participate in the action.
601	601	When the Department is a necessary party to the action, any orders
602	602	concerning paternity, child support, medical support, or the debt
603	603	due to the State of Oklahoma shall be approved and signed by the
604	604	Department.
605	605	G. H. In any case in which a child support order or custody
606	606	order or both is entered, enforced or modified, the court may make a
607	607	determination of the arrearages of child support.
608	608	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
609	609
610	610	60-1-299 TEK 1/10/2025 7:01:31 PM

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB495 Compare Versions