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HB 971FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead
High Impact

Proposed Changes to Family Court Procedures and Judge Availability

Original title: Family Law

January 5, 2026

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Where This Stands

Currently dead. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Last action
Died in Civil Justice & Claims SubcommitteeMar 13, 2026
Lead sponsor

Procedural history

6 actions
  1. Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroduced
    1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
  2. Jan 12, 2026House
    Now in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
  3. Jan 12, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to Judiciary Committee
  4. Jan 12, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee
  5. Jan 12, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
  6. Jan 5, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Filed

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 →

The Frame

What this does

If enacted, this bill would change the timeline for resolving child custody disputes and ensure parents have access to judicial enforcement of agreements outside of standard business hours, impacting all families currently involved in Florida family court proceedings.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Parents in family court

The bill changes the timelines for their custody hearings and the availability of judges to enforce their time-sharing agreements.

Circuit Court Judges

Judges are required to be available for hearings outside of standard business hours and must adhere to new mandatory scheduling deadlines.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 5, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Background

  • This bill was introduced during the 2026 legislative session to address delays and accessibility issues in Florida's family court system. context

Summary

This bill would require courts to provide judges for emergency family law hearings on weekends and holidays and mandates faster scheduling for child custody and disputes. It also updates rules for paternity cases to ensure parenting plans are established alongside child support orders.

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

Will I be able to get a court hearing on a weekend if my ex-spouse violates our custody agreement?
Yes, the bill requires that at least one judge in each circuit be available on weekends, holidays, and after hours to hear motions to enforce orders.
Does this bill force parents into mediation before a judge will hear a custody case?
No, the bill explicitly states that the court may not refer parties to mediation as a condition for holding a hearing unless both parties consent.
How quickly must a court schedule a hearing for a custody dispute under this bill?
The court must set a hearing for contested temporary within 30 days of the pleading, and a hearing for enforcement of an existing order within 5 business days.

Why It Matters

If enacted, this bill would change the timeline for resolving child custody disputes and ensure parents have access to judicial enforcement of agreements outside of standard business hours, impacting all families currently involved in Florida family court proceedings.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

NELSON MULLINS RILEY & SCARBOROUGH

on behalf of UNIFORM LAW COMMISSION (NAT'L CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS)

CURE SMA

$75,000

MILLER STRATEGIES, LLC

on behalf of NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FOUNDATION

SINGISER SOLUTIONS LLC

on behalf of HOPEWELL FUND

MARY K MINAGHAN DBA MKM SERVICES

on behalf of CHICAGOLAND APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

Senate LDAView filing →

MARY K MINAGHAN DBA MKM SERVICES

on behalf of CHICAGOLAND APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

Senate LDAView filing →

LANGDON D NEAL

on behalf of STEANS FAMILY FOUNDATION

Senate LDAView filing →

MARY K MINAGHAN DBA MKM SERVICES

on behalf of CHICAGOLAND APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

Senate LDAView filing →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Removal of Parental Presumptions

The bill removes the long-standing presumption that a mother or obligee parent receives sole parental responsibility if a paternity judgment is silent on the matter, shifting toward a more neutral default.

Connected Entities

organizationCivil Justice & Claims SubcommitteeSubcommittee to which the bill was referredMap →
bill_numberFamily LawTitle of the billMap →
organizationJudiciary CommitteeSubcommittee to which the bill was referredMap →
organizationJustice Budget SubcommitteeSubcommittee to which the bill was referredMap →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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