This bill amends the existing law regarding grandparent and great-grandparent visitation rights in Iowa. Under current law, a court can grant visitation rights to a grandparent or great-grandparent only if the child's parent is deceased and the court finds that such visitation is in the child's best interests. Additionally, there are specific conditions that must be met, including the requirement that the surviving parent must be unfit or have impaired judgment, and that the benefits of visitation must significantly outweigh any negative effects on the parent-child relationship.

The proposed legislation removes the stipulation that the surviving parent must be unfit or have impaired judgment for a court to grant visitation rights. This change aims to simplify the process for grandparents seeking visitation and acknowledges the importance of maintaining relationships between children and their extended family, regardless of the surviving parent's fitness.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 600C.1