HB792

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that every year, almost seven hundred thousand children are neglected, physically abused, and sexually abused in the United States. In ninety-five per cent of these cases, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts. In seventy-eight per cent of child abuse cases, the victim is harmed by a parent. An estimated one thousand seven hundred children die every year from abuse and neglect.

Children who survive physical or sexual abuse may experience life-long trauma and are more vulnerable to mental and physical illness. Survivors of child abuse are at higher risk of developing mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, and impulse control disorders. Survivors of child abuse are also more likely to experience poor health as adults and are at greater risk of diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, and early death. Given these risks, it is critically important that family courts protect children from known violent and sexual offenders when making custody decisions.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Clarify that if a court determines that a parent has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or if the parent is required to register as a sex offender, the conviction or classification shall raise a rebuttable presumption that it is detrimental to the child and not in the best interests of the child to grant that parent custodial rights;

(2) Clarify that no child shall be placed in a home in which a person resides who has committed family violence, has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or is required to register as a sex offender, nor have unsupervised visitation with that person, unless the court states the reasons for its findings in writing or on the record;

(3) Establish that no person shall be granted physical or legal custody of, or unsupervised visitation with, a child if anyone residing in that person's household is required to register as a sex offender, unless the court finds there is no significant risk to the child and states its reasons in writing or on the record;

(4) Require a court to consider registration as a sex offender a presumption of risk that affects the burden of producing evidence;

(5) Establish that no person shall be granted custody of, or unsupervised visitation with, a child if the person has been convicted of murder in the first degree and the victim of the murder was the other parent of the child, unless the court finds there is no risk to the child's health, safety, and welfare, and states the reasons for its findings in writing or on the record; and

(6) Provide that no court shall disclose the custodial parent's place of residence, place of employment, or the child's school, unless the court finds that disclosure would be in the best interests of the child.

SECTION 2. Section 571-46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:

"(a) In actions for divorce, separation, annulment, separate maintenance, or any other proceeding where there is at issue a dispute as to the custody of a minor child, the court, during the pendency of the action, at the final hearing, or any time during the minority of the child, may make an order for the custody of the minor child as may seem necessary or proper. In awarding the custody, the court shall be guided by the following standards, considerations, and procedures:

(1) Custody should be awarded to either parent or to both parents according to the best interests of the child, and the court also may consider frequent, continuing, and meaningful contact of each parent with the child unless the court finds that a parent is unable to act in the best interest of the child;

(2) Custody may be awarded to persons other than the father or mother whenever the award serves the best interest of the child. Any person who has had de facto custody of the child in a stable and wholesome home and is a fit and proper person shall be entitled prima facie to an award of custody;

(3) If a child is of sufficient age and capacity to reason, so as to form an intelligent preference, the child's wishes as to custody shall be considered and be given due weight by the court;

(4) Whenever good cause appears therefor, the court may require an investigation and report concerning the care, welfare, and custody of any minor child of the parties. When so directed by the court, investigators or professional personnel attached to or assisting the court, hereinafter referred to as child custody evaluators, shall make investigations and reports that shall be made available to all interested parties and counsel before hearing, and the reports may be received in evidence if no objection is made and, if objection is made, may be received in evidence; provided the person or persons responsible for the report are available for cross-examination as to any matter that has been investigated; and provided further that the court shall define, in accordance with section 571-46.4, the requirements to be a court-appointed child custody evaluator, the standards of practice, ethics, policies, and procedures required of court-appointed child custody evaluators in the performance of their duties for all courts, and the powers of the courts over child custody evaluators to effectuate the best interests of a child in a contested custody dispute pursuant to this section. Where there is no child custody evaluator available that meets the requirements and standards, or any child custody evaluator to serve indigent parties, the court may appoint a person otherwise willing and available in accordance with section 571-46.4;

(5) The court may hear the testimony of any person or expert, produced by any party or upon the court's own motion, whose skill, insight, knowledge, or experience is such that the person's or expert's testimony is relevant to a just and reasonable determination of what is for the best physical, mental, moral, and spiritual well-being of the child whose custody is at issue;

(6) Any custody award shall be subject to modification or change whenever the best interests of the child require or justify the modification or change and, wherever practicable, the same person who made the original order shall hear the motion or petition for modification of the prior award;

(7) Reasonable visitation rights shall be awarded to parents, grandparents, siblings, and any person interested in the welfare of the child in the discretion of the court, unless it is shown that rights of visitation are detrimental to the best interests of the child;

(8) The court may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the interests of the child and may assess the reasonable fees and expenses of the guardian ad litem as costs of the action, payable in whole or in part by either or both parties as the circumstances may justify;

(9) In every proceeding where there is at issue a dispute as to the custody of a child, a determination by the court that family violence has been committed by a parent, a parent has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or a parent is required to register as a sex offender raises a rebuttable presumption that it is detrimental to the child and not in the best interest of the child to be placed in sole custody, joint legal custody, or joint physical custody with the perpetrator of family violence[.], the parent who has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or the parent who is required to register as a sex offender. In addition to other factors that a court shall consider in a proceeding in which the custody of a child or visitation by a parent is at issue, and in which the court has made a finding of family violence by a parent[:], that a parent has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or that the parent is required to register as a sex offender:

(A) The court shall consider as the primary factor the safety and well-being of the child and of the parent who is the victim of family violence;

(B) The court shall consider the perpetrator's history of causing physical harm, bodily injury, or assault or causing reasonable fear of physical harm, bodily injury, or assault to another person; [~~and~~]

(C) If a parent is absent or relocates because of an act of family violence by the other parent, the absence or relocation shall not be a factor that weighs against the parent in determining custody or visitation; and

(D) A child shall not be placed in a home in which a person resides who a court has determined has committed family violence, has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor, or is required to register as a sex offender, nor have unsupervised visitation with that person, unless the court states the reasons for its findings in writing or on the record;

(10) A court may award visitation to a parent who has committed family violence or has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor only if the court finds that there is no significant risk to the child and that adequate provision can be made for the physical safety and psychological well-being of the child and for the safety of the parent who is a victim of family violence[;] and states the

(11) In a visitation order, a court may:

(A) Order an exchange of a child to occur in a protected setting;

(B) Order visitation supervised by another person or agency;

(C) Order the perpetrator of family violence or a parent who has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor to attend and complete, to the satisfaction of the court, a program of intervention for perpetrators or other designated counseling as a condition of the visitation;

(D) Order the perpetrator of family violence or a parent who has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor to abstain from possession or consumption of alcohol or controlled substances during the visitation and for twenty-four hours preceding the visitation;

(E) Order the perpetrator of family violence or a parent who has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor to pay a fee to defray the costs of supervised visitation;

(F) Prohibit overnight visitation;

(G) Require a bond from the perpetrator of family violence or a parent with a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor for the return and safety of the child. In determining the amount of the bond, the court shall consider the financial circumstances of the perpetrator of family violence;

(H) Impose any other condition that is deemed necessary to provide for the safety of the child, the victim of family violence, or other family or household member; and

(I) Order the address of the child and the victim to be kept confidential;

(12) The court may refer but shall not order an adult who is a victim of family violence to attend, either individually or with the perpetrator of the family violence, counseling relating to the victim's status or behavior as a victim as a condition of receiving custody of a child or as a condition of visitation;

(13) If a court allows a family or household member to supervise visitation, the court shall establish conditions to be followed during visitation;

(14) A supervised visitation center shall provide a secure setting and specialized procedures for supervised visitation and the transfer of children for visitation and supervision by a person trained in security and the avoidance of family violence;

(15) The court may include in visitation awarded pursuant to this section visitation by electronic communication provided that the court shall additionally consider the potential for abuse or misuse of the electronic communication, including the equipment used for the communication, by the person seeking visitation or by persons who may be present during the visitation or have access to the communication or equipment; whether the person seeking visitation has previously violated a temporary restraining order or protective order; and whether adequate provision can be made for the physical safety and psychological well-being of the child and for the safety of the custodial parent;

(16) The court may set conditions for visitation by electronic communication under paragraph (15), including visitation supervised by another person or occurring in a protected setting. Visitation by electronic communication shall not be used to:

(A) Replace or substitute an award of custody or physical visitation except where:

(i) Circumstances exist that make a parent seeking visitation unable to participate in physical visitation, including military deployment; or

(ii) Physical visitation may subject the child to physical or extreme psychological harm; or

(B) Justify or support the relocation of a custodial parent; and

(17) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, no natural parent shall be granted custody of or visitation with a child if the natural parent has been convicted in a court of competent jurisdiction in any state of rape or sexual assault and the child was conceived as a result of that offense; provided that:

(A) A denial of custody or visitation under this paragraph shall not affect the obligation of the convicted natural parent to support the child;

(B) The court may order the convicted natural parent to pay child support;

(C) This paragraph shall not apply if subsequent to the date of conviction, the convicted natural parent and custodial natural parent cohabitate and establish a mutual custodial environment for the child; and

(D) A custodial natural parent may petition the court to grant the convicted natural parent custody and visitation denied pursuant to this paragraph, and upon [~~such~~] the petition, the court may grant custody and visitation to the convicted natural parent where it is in the best interest of the child;

(18) No person shall be granted physical or legal custody of, or unsupervised visitation with, a child if anyone residing in the household is required, as a result of a felony conviction in which the victim was a minor, to register as a sex offender unless the court finds there is no significant risk to the child and states its reasons in writing or on the record. When making a determination regarding significant risk to the child, the court shall deem that the requirement to register as a sex offender resulting from a felony conviction in which the victim was a minor constitutes a presumption of risk that affects the burden of producing evidence;

(19) No person shall be granted custody of, or unsupervised visitation with, a child if the person has been convicted of murder in the first degree and the victim of the murder was the other parent of the child who is the subject of the order unless the court finds that there is no risk to the child's health, safety, and welfare, and states the reasons for its findings in writing or on the record. In making its findings under this section, the court may consider, among other things:

(A) The wishes of the child; provided that the child is of sufficient age and capacity to form an intelligent preference;

(B) Credible evidence that the convicted parent was the victim of intimate partner violence committed by the deceased parent; provided that the evidence may include but shall not be limited to written reports from:

(i) Law enforcement agencies;

(ii) Child protective services or other social welfare agencies;

(iii) Courts;

(iv) Medical facilities; or

(v) Other public agencies or private non-profit organizations that provide services to victims of domestic violence; or

(20) Unless and until a custody or visitation order is issued pursuant to this subsection, no person shall permit or cause the child to visit or remain in the custody of the convicted parent without the consent of the child's custodian or legal guardian; and

(21) The court shall not disclose, or cause to be disclosed, the custodial parent's place of residence, place of employment, or the child's school, unless the court finds that the disclosure would be in the best interest of the child.

(b) In determining what constitutes the best interest of the child under this section, the court shall consider, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Any history of sexual or physical abuse of a child by a parent;

(2) Any history of neglect or emotional abuse of a child by a parent;

(3) The overall quality of the parent-child relationship;

(4) The history of caregiving or parenting by each parent prior and subsequent to a marital or other type of separation;

(5) Each parent's cooperation in developing and implementing a plan to meet the child's ongoing needs, interests, and schedule; provided that this factor shall not be considered in any case where the court has determined that family violence has been committed by a parent;

(6) The physical health needs of the child;

(7) The emotional needs of the child;

(8) The safety needs of the child;

(9) The educational needs of the child;

(10) The child's need for relationships with siblings;

(11) Each parent's actions demonstrating that they allow the child to maintain family connections through family events and activities; provided that this factor shall not be considered in any case where the court has determined that family violence has been committed by a parent;

(12) Each parent's actions demonstrating that they separate the child's needs from the parent's needs;

(13) Any evidence of past or current drug or alcohol abuse by a parent;

(14) The mental health of each parent;

(15) The areas and levels of conflict present within the family; [~~and~~]

(16) A parent's prior wilful misuse of the protection from abuse process under chapter 586 to gain a tactical advantage in any proceeding involving the custody determination of a minor. [~~Such wilful~~] Wilful misuse may be considered only if it is established by clear and convincing evidence, and if it is further found by clear and convincing evidence that in the particular family circumstance the wilful misuse tends to show that, in the future, the parent who engaged in the wilful misuse will not be able to cooperate successfully with the other parent in their shared responsibilities for the child. The court shall articulate findings of fact whenever relying upon this factor as part of its determination of the best interests of the child. For the purposes of this section, when taken alone, the voluntary dismissal of a petition for protection from abuse shall not be treated as prima facie evidence that a wilful misuse of the protection from abuse process has occurred[.]; and

(17) Whether the parent has a felony conviction for a violent or sexual offense in which the victim was a minor."

SECTION 3. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	792
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII