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HF2937 • 2026

Use of parenting consultants in family court cases regulated.

Use of parenting consultants in family court cases regulated.

Children
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
McDonald, Scott, Hudson
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
Author added Hudson
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details about what the law entails, only that it regulates the use of parenting consultants in family court cases.

Regulating Parenting Consultants in Family Court

This law sets rules for using parenting consultants in family court cases to help parents resolve disputes about child custody and visitation.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines a parenting consultant as someone hired by both parents to assist in resolving issues related to implementing a court's custody order, requiring them to meet specific qualifications such as those of a parenting time expeditor or marriage and family therapist.
  • Specifies that parenting consultants cannot modify the terms of a custody order or change visitation arrangements.
  • Allows either parent to terminate their agreement with a parenting consultant by providing written notice to the consultant and filing it with the court.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Parents involved in family court cases who use parenting consultants
  • Parenting consultants hired by parents

Terms To Know

parenting consultant
A neutral third party hired to help resolve disputes about child custody and visitation between parents.
custody order
A court's decision on who has legal responsibility for a child, including where the child lives and how decisions are made.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if parents do not agree to use a parenting consultant.
  • It is unclear how this law will be enforced or monitored by courts.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-12 House

    Author added Hudson

  2. 2025-04-01 House

    Introduction and first reading, referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Official Summary Text

Use of parenting consultants in family court cases regulated.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A bill for an act

relating to civil law; regulating the use of parenting consultants in family court

cases; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 518.1751, subdivision 4, by

adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 518.1751, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Other agreements.

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(a) A person selected by the parties to serve as a parenting

consultant must meet the qualifications in subdivision 2c for a parenting time expeditor or

the qualifications of a marriage and family therapist in section 148B.33, subdivision 1. For

the purposes of this section, a "parenting consultant" is a neutral third party hired by the

parties to resolve parenting time disputes and other parenting conflicts.

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(b) The role of a parenting consultant is to assist and guide the parties in resolving issues

that arise due to implementing a custody and parenting time court order. A parenting

consultant may not modify a custody order or change the percentage of the parenting time

awarded to either party.

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(c) Any party may discharge a parenting consultant by providing written notice to the

consultant. The party must also file the notice with the court and serve all parties with the

notice. The court may discharge a parenting consultant when the court finds that the

consultant is not serving the best interest of the child.

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(d)
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This section does not preclude the parties from voluntarily agreeing to submit their

parenting time dispute to a neutral third party or from otherwise resolving parenting time

disputes on a voluntary basis.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 518.1751, is amended by adding a subdivision

to read:

new text begin

Subd. 8.

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Decisions of parenting consultants.

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The decisions of a parenting consultant

must not be binding on the parties to an action under this chapter. The court must not be

bound by the decisions of a parenting time consultant. The court must treat evidence of a

parenting consultant's determination as inadmissible in proceedings commenced under this

chapter. Any evidence, evaluations, or recommendations made by a parenting consultant

must not be admissible in court.

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