Senate Bill 263 proposes amendments to Wisconsin statutes regarding the determination of physical placement of children in family court cases. Currently, if a court grants less than 25 percent physical placement to one parent, it must provide specific findings of fact explaining why a greater allocation is not in the child's best interest. This bill seeks to change that threshold from 25 percent to 50 percent, meaning that specific findings will only be required if one parent is granted less than 50 percent of physical placement.

The bill amends sections 767.225 (1) (am) and 767.41 (6) (a) of the statutes to reflect this change. The court will still be required to consider the best-interest factors when determining physical placement schedules, but the new requirement for findings of fact will only apply when the placement is significantly skewed in favor of one parent. The act will take effect on the first day of the seventh month following its publication and will apply to orders regarding physical placement issued on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 767.225(1)(am), 767.225, 767.41(6)(a), 767.41