HB 2256 Summary

• Courts cannot order a party to pay for any type of therapeutic intervention in legal decision-making or parenting time proceedings without the party's consent.

• Expert testimony about therapeutic intervention, child development, mental or physical health, domestic violence, or substance abuse is only admissible if the expert has specialized expertise in child development with substantial clinical experience in therapeutic settings.

• Expert opinions must be supported by the canons of the expert's profession, adhere to their licensing board's guidelines, and cannot rely on theories that are not clinically established.

• Professionals conducting investigations, evaluations, or submitting court reports under sections 25-405 and 25-406 must meet the same expert qualifications before offering testimony or recommendations.

• "Therapeutic intervention" is defined as therapy, treatment, or counseling designed to improve or maintain parent-child or parent-parent relationships, including court-ordered behavioral intervention.