HI HB624

Establishes that when parents live in the same county or school district, custody and visitation shall be shared equally unless a parent is unable to provide for the child's best interests or there is evidence of family violence.

Requires courts to consider frequent, continuing, and meaningful contact between the child and each parent when parents do not live in the same county or school district.

Creates a three-tiered custody determination framework: equal sharing for same county/district parents (absent unfitness or violence), best interests consideration with contact frequency for different locations, and discretionary awards for other circumstances.

Reorganizes existing custody consideration factors (child's preferences, custody evaluators, expert testimony, modification standards, visitation rights, guardian ad litem appointment) and renumbers them accordingly without substantive changes to those provisions.

Maintains all existing protections related to family violence findings, supervised visitation conditions, electronic communication visitation, and restrictions on custody for parents convicted of rape or sexual assault.