HB 24-1350 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive training requirements for child and family investigators and parental responsibilities evaluators, including minimum 20 hours of initial training and 15 hours ongoing every five years on domestic violence, coercive control, child abuse, and child sexual abuse effects on families.

• Requires child and family investigators and evaluators to include all information about domestic violence, child abuse, coercive control, and trauma in written reports regardless of how information was obtained or who reported it, including allegations by children.

• Mandates courts make written findings explaining why unsupervised parenting time was granted when any allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, or sexual abuse have been made, with paramount consideration given to child safety.

• Defines "coercive control" as a pattern of threatening, intimidating, or humiliating actions that takes away an individual's liberty, freedom, and sense of self, including isolation, financial control, surveillance, name-calling, threats, and weapon-related intimidation.

• Requires written disclosures from investigators and evaluators to parties regarding their duties, training compliance, and procedures for filing complaints with the State Court Administrator, which will now accept complaints regarding violations of Chief Justice Directives.