S.F. No. 4425 - Parenting Time Determinations

• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 518.17, subdivision 1, to modify factors courts must consider when determining custody and parenting time in the best interests of the child.

• Requires courts to make detailed findings on each relevant factor based on evidence presented and explain how each factor influenced custody and parenting time determinations.

• Establishes a rebuttable presumption that joint legal custody is in the best interests of the child upon request of either or both parties, unless domestic abuse has occurred between parents.

• Clarifies that disagreement alone over parenting time schedules or whether to grant sole or joint custody does not constitute an inability of parents to cooperate in child rearing.

• Prohibits courts from considering only a service member parent's past or possible future military deployment when determining the best interests of the child.