Senate Bill 490 Summary

• Revises parenting coordinator laws to allow appointment on or after entry of custody orders upon motion of either party or the court's own motion without requiring consent, with courts making findings that the case is high-conflict and in the child's best interests for non-consensual appointments.

• Expands parenting coordinator authority to decide issues regarding implementation of parenting plans that parties cannot resolve, with decisions enforceable as court orders and subject to judicial review if any party files a motion challenging the decision.

• Revises equitable distribution of pension and retirement benefits by clarifying calculation methods, adding new provisions for defined contribution plans based on account balances, and specifying survivor annuity protections for non-participant spouses.

• Updates adoption laws to recognize same-sex couples in international readoptions, allows courts to accept foreign adoption orders in lieu of consent for readoptions, and clarifies procedures for establishing birth dates of adoptees born outside the United States.

• Adds judicial procedures for the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, establishing expedited court review of Compact administrator decisions within 10 days and exempting the Department of Health and Human Services from contested case provisions when administering the Compact.