This bill amends existing family law to ensure that, unless otherwise specified by a court order or parenting plan, both parents are entitled to access all records and information pertaining to their minor child, including medical, dental, and school records. It also mandates that the court must hold a hearing within 30 days for any motion filed by a parent for contempt or enforcement of an approved parenting plan. If an investigation by the Division for Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) or law enforcement does not result in a finding of abuse or neglect, and a parent has unjustifiably failed to comply with the terms of a parenting plan, the court is directed to award additional parenting time to the other parent as compensation for the time lost with the child. The court may also impose a $500 fine for noncompliance with the parenting plan.

The bill applies to any family division proceedings affecting the child-parent relationship that are pending on or after the effective date of the act, which is January 1, 2025. It does not apply to proceedings where a final order was issued before the effective date. The fiscal note attached to the bill indicates that there is no estimated impact on state, county, or local revenue or expenditures, and no new positions are authorized to implement the bill. However, the Judicial Branch anticipates that the bill could result in a substantial increase in the number of contempt hearings, potentially by as many as 2,000 per year, which would increase judicial and staff time and could delay the issuance of initial parenting orders. The bill does not allow the court to decline hearings on frivolous pleadings or those alleging minor noncompliance, and the potential additional costs of these provisions cannot be determined.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 461-A:4, 461-A:4-a
As Amended by the House: 461-A:4