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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri Senate Bill 1371 updates child custody and parenting time definitions
Last action · January 27, 2026: Second Read and Referred S Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence CommitteeSponsor: Rick Brattin
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 1371 modifies child custody definitions by replacing references to allocating responsibilities with new guidelines, changing parenting time standards from significant to equal or substantially equal, and revising the presumption of parenting time to substantially equal. The measure also updates the factors courts must consider when awarding custody, such as parental cooperation, substance abuse history, domestic abuse history, distance between residences, and the child's input.
Parents involved in family court proceedings face new statutory standards for custody determinations, altering how parenting time and joint decision-making authority are defined and evaluated by judges.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Parents
Parents navigating child custody determinations are subject to revised legal definitions of joint custody and new factors evaluated by courts.
Children
Custodial arrangements and parenting time allocations for children are determined using updated statutory guidelines and direct input considerations.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does SB 1371 change the definition of joint physical custody?
What factors must a court consider when awarding custody under this act?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 27, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 1, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 5153S.01I - Introduced version. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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