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HB 109KENTUCKYSession 2026RSState Billdead

Did Not Advance

Kentucky bill exempts divorcing couples using mediation or collaborative law from waiting period when minor children are involved

Original title: AN ACT relating to the dissolution of marriage.

Last action · April 15, 2026: recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)Sponsor: Stephanie Dietz

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Kentucky House Bill 109 amends divorce procedures to allow couples with minor children to take testimony before the standard sixty-day waiting period if they have successfully completed family mediation or the and filed a property and custody agreement.

Why it matters

Divorcing parents in Kentucky who complete mediation or collaborative law can bypass the mandatory sixty-day waiting period for taking testimony, potentially shortening the timeline for finalizing their divorce.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Divorcing spouses with minor children in Kentucky

Spouses with minor children can bypass the sixty-day waiting period for taking testimony if they complete family mediation or collaborative law and file the required agreements.

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

Does this bill eliminate the sixty-day waiting period for all divorces in Kentucky?

No. The sixty-day waiting period for taking testimony still applies to divorce actions involving minor children unless the parties complete family mediation or the and file a property and custody agreement.

What documents must be filed to qualify for the mediation exemption?

Parties must file a notice of completion of family mediation, a property and custody agreement, and a proposed decree of dissolution of marriage that references the completion of family mediation.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

6 actions

Apr 15, 2026HouseCommittee
recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
Feb 6, 2026HouseFloor
2nd reading, to Rules
Feb 5, 2026House
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
Jan 20, 2026HouseCommittee
reassigned to Families & Children (H)
Jan 14, 2026HouseCommittee
to Judiciary (H)
Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced
introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

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.

Connected Entities

General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

OrganizationGeneral Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky“Enacting body of the legislation”Map →

Sources

Open source document

apps.legislature.ky.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 40)
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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