SB211 Summary - Children's Equal Access Act

• Establishes a rebuttable presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of the child, which can only be overcome by clear and convincing evidence presented in written findings of fact.

• Requires courts to establish parenting plans in all custody cases specifying time each minor child spends with each parent, covering education, medical/dental care, health care responsibility, transportation, and extracurricular activities.

• Courts may order joint custody without parental consent when in the child's best interest, but must grant joint custody if both parents request it unless specific written findings explain why joint custody is not appropriate.

• Creates enforcement remedies when a parent violates the parenting plan's time-sharing schedule, including makeup time, attorney's fees and court costs, mandatory parenting courses, and reimbursement for actual costs incurred by the other parent.

• Applies to all parenting time, custody, and child support orders issued on or after January 1, 2019; becomes effective January 1, 2019.