HI HB697

Requires the Chief Justice to mandate all family court judges and professional personnel complete ongoing training every three years in domestic violence advocacy best practices and current research.

Mandates family courts hold an evidentiary hearing limited to family violence evidence before making custody or visitation decisions in cases involving allegations or history of family violence.

Creates a rebuttable presumption that placing a child in custody with a family violence perpetrator is detrimental to the child's best interests.

Prohibits a parent's good faith allegation of family violence from being used as a negative factor in custody or visitation determinations.

Requires child custody evaluators in family violence cases to have specific training and qualifications in recognizing and responding to domestic violence, and allows non-degree-holding evaluators in cases without mental health issues.