HB 1109 Summary

• Creates new visitation procedures for active duty military parents, requiring courts to ensure maximum contact between child and deployed parent while considering the child's best interests.

• Allows activated military parents to petition courts to delegate visitation rights to family members (adult siblings, aunts, uncles, first cousins, grandparents, or stepparents) if the family member has an existing close relationship with the child and delegation serves the child's best interests.

• Requires court orders to mandate the non-activated parent make the child available during the activated parent's leave, facilitate electronic and telephonic contact between parents and child, and maintain timely communication of leave schedules and address changes.

• Establishes rebuttable presumption that visitation rights cannot be delegated to family members with histories of domestic violence against spouses, children, or domestic partners, or those with household members having such histories.

• Adds definition of "active duty service" to include military deployment orders for combat operations, contingency operations, peacekeeping operations, temporary duty, and related periods including awaiting travel or remaining deployed due to sickness, wounds, or leave.