Substitute House Bill 121 Summary

• Prohibits courts from considering a parent's active military service (past, present, or future) as a change in circumstances justifying modification of prior custody decrees under Ohio Revised Code Section 3109.04(E).

• Requires courts to schedule hearings within 30 days (or expeditiously if exigencies exist) when a parent receives active military service orders, allowing expedited custody allocation before deployment begins.

• Permits courts to issue temporary custody orders for the duration of active military service that automatically terminate and resume prior orders within 10 days after the parent provides notice of service termination.

• Allows parents called to active military service to delegate parenting time to relatives or close family friends, require the other parent to facilitate contact during leave, and participate in court proceedings remotely by phone, video, or internet.

• Redefines "active military service" to include combat operations, contingency operations, peacekeeping operations, and remote duty tours requiring unaccompanied service, replacing the previous 30-day threshold standard.