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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 147 establishes rebuttable presumption of joint child custody in divorce cases
Last action · January 13, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of OriginSponsor: Kenneth Paschal
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill establishes a legal presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of the child in divorce and separation proceedings, effective January 1, 2027. It defines frequent and substantial contact to mean equal or approximately equal time and requires parents to submit a joint custody model parenting plan.
Parents undergoing divorce or separation face new legal standards regarding child custody allocations, mandatory parenting plans, and potential financial penalties for violating time-sharing schedules or filing unsupported motions.
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.
Divorcing or separated parents
Parents are subject to a legal presumption of joint custody, face mandatory joint custody parenting plan requirements, and may incur financial penalties or legal remedies for time-sharing noncompliance.
Minor children
Children experience a legal presumption favoring equal or approximately equal time-sharing between both parents, subject to court-determined best interest exceptions.
Alabama state courts
Courts must document specific findings and reasons when deviating from joint custody presumptions, expedite temporary relief motions, and enforce new time-sharing remedies.
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
What does joint physical custody mean under this bill?
Are parenting plans mandatory in all custody cases?
What happens if a parent violates the time-sharing schedule?
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
2 actions- Jan 13, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. 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.
Shift to Equal Time Standard
The legislation redefines frequent and substantial contact to explicitly mean equal or approximately equal time, shifting standard custody interpretations.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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