SB 489 Summary - Military Custody and Visitation Act

• Creates the "Military Custody and Visitation Act" establishing legal framework for child custody and visitation when a service member is deployed or facing deployment.

• Prohibits courts from considering past or potential future deployments as a factor in determining custody arrangements, except for actual deployment effects beyond temporary inconvenience.

• Requires deploying parents to provide 60 days notice to nondeploying parents (or 10 days if deployment orders received with insufficient notice), and allows expedited hearings within 10 days when deployment affects a parent's ability to appear.

• Permits temporary custody orders during deployment allowing courts to specify visitation terms and enable electronic communication (video, phone, email) between deployed parent and child; temporary orders automatically terminate 30 days after return unless extended due to irreparable harm to child.

• Authorizes courts to allow deploying parents to delegate visitation rights to family members and requires liberal visitation upon return from deployment, with provisions preventing permanent custody changes during deployment without deploying parent's consent.