The bill amends Iowa law regarding child custody and visitation for parents who are members of the uniformed services and are subject to short-term deployments. It adds "space force" to the list of military branches recognized under the law. Additionally, it introduces new definitions related to child custody determinations, deploying parents, and short-term deployments, clarifying the rights and responsibilities of parents during such deployments.

Specifically, the bill allows a deploying parent who cannot exercise court-ordered visitation during a short-term deployment to make up for missed time either thirty days before or after the deployment, with a maximum of thirty days to be compensated. The deploying parent must notify the other parent of the deployment within seven days and provide a plan for making up the missed visitation. If there are existing court orders that restrict the disclosure of the other parent's contact information, notifications must be made to the court, which will then forward the information while keeping the other parent's details confidential.

Statutes affected:
Reprinted: 598C.102