IN SB0171

Expands visitation rights eligibility to great-grandparents in addition to grandparents, allowing them to petition for visitation with great-grandchildren under the same circumstances previously available only to grandparents

Adds a new basis for seeking visitation: when a grandparent or great-grandparent has had meaningful contact with a child but that contact was terminated due to estrangement between the parent and the grandparent/great-grandparent

Establishes seven specific factors courts must consider when determining best interests of the child, including: the child's age and sex, wishes of parents and relatives, the child's wishes (with greater weight given if child is 14 or older), relationships between parties, mental and physical health, evidence of domestic violence, and whether the grandparent/great-grandparent has cared for the child

Authorizes courts to order a party in grandparent or great-grandparent visitation proceedings to pay reasonable costs of the other party, including attorney's fees and mediation costs, while exempting Title IV-D child support enforcement agencies from such cost orders

Declared an emergency measure, taking effect upon passage rather than the standard effective date