MS HB424

Requires courts in custody disputes to investigate allegations that a parent will place a child in the care of a convicted sex offender and restrict custody/visitation accordingly, with a rebuttable presumption that such placement is not in the child's best interest.

Expands felony parental child sexual abuse statutes to include grandparents convicted of sexual abuse of their grandchildren, applying the same restrictions on contact and visitation that apply to parents.

Prohibits persons convicted of felony parental child sexual abuse from contacting the victim child or their siblings in the same household, and from harassing or menacing the victim, siblings, or legal custodians, with penalties of up to one year in jail for contact violations and up to five years imprisonment for harassment violations.

Requires grandparents seeking visitation rights to follow guidelines in Section 93-5-24 (the custody statute) when determining best interests of the child, ensuring consistency in custody and visitation determinations.

Takes effect July 1, 2023.