Establish factors when determining best interest of child

2025 Regular Session

Establishes a defined set of factors courts must weigh to determine a child’s best interests in custody, guiding judges and attorneys to favor child welfare.

(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery

#courts(seealso:judgesandjustices;juriesandjurors) #familylaw(seealso:minors) #minors(seealso:familylaw)

Overview

LC 482 is a draft bill focused on child custody decisions within family law. Its core aim, as indicated by the title, is to establish a defined set of factors that courts must consider when determining the best interests of a child in custody-related proceedings. The bill is categorized under Courts and Family Law, with particular relevance to minors.

Bill Number: LC 482

Title: Establish factors when determining best interest of child

Status: Draft Ready for Delivery (LC); Draft in Final Drafter Review / Assembly, as of February 2025

Introduced: October 4, 2024

Subject: Courts, Family Law, Minors

What the bill would do (based on the title and context)

Establish a specified framework of factors for courts to weigh when determining the best interests of a child in custody, visitation, or related proceedings.

The goal is to standardize or guide judicial decision-making to better reflect child welfare considerations.

The exact list of factors and how they are weighted would be defined in the bill text (not provided in the summary you supplied).

Note: The available information does not include the actual text of the provisions. The description above reflects what is typically implied by a bill whose purpose is to “establish factors” for best-interest determinations.

Potential impact and who would be affected

Courts and Judges: Primary implementers of the new framework; decisions in custody cases would be guided by the enumerated factors.

Family Law Practitioners: Attorneys representing parents, guardians, or other parties would structure arguments around the specified factors.

Guardians ad Litem and Child Welfare Professionals: They would align assessments and recommendations with the established factors.

Parents and Guardians: Involved parties would experience potentially more predictable standards for custody determinations.

Minor(s): The intended beneficiary is the child, with the potential for more consistent consideration of welfare-related factors.

Procedural and timeline notes

Introduced: October 4, 2024

Legislative actions timeline (highlights):

2024-11-06: Draft On Hold
2024-11-20: Draft Taken Off Hold
2025-01-06: Draft On Hold
2025-02-17: Draft Taken Off Hold
2025-02-20: Draft in Legal Review; Draft in Edit
2025-02-23: Draft in Input/Proofing
2025-02-24: Draft in Final Drafter Review; Draft in Assembly; Draft Ready for Delivery

Status indicators (LC) suggest the draft is moving through standard drafting and Assembly review stages, with delivery anticipated upon finalization of the drafting process.

Next steps and where to find more

The exact text of the bill, including the enumerated factors and any related provisions (definitions, court procedures, effective dates, and any transitional rules), is not provided here. To understand the precise impact and requirements, review the bill’s actual language in the official legislative materials once released.

Monitor updates from the legislative docket for LC 482, especially the final drafter review, Assembly draft status, and any fiscal notes or implementation timelines.

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