KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Missouri

SB1371 • 2026

Modifies provisions relating to child custody arrangements

Modifies provisions relating to child custody arrangements

Children
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Brattin, Rick; House handler: N/A
Last action
2026-01-27
Official status
Second Read and Referred S Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
Effective date
2026-08-28

Plain English Breakdown

The plain English breakdown is still being put together. The official documents below are already here.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-27 S244

    Second Read and Referred S Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee

  2. 2026-01-07 S85

    S First Read

  3. 2025-12-01 Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate

    Prefiled

Official Summary Text

The following summaries of this bill are available:

Print All Summaries

Introduced

Print

SB 1371 - This act modifies the definition of "joint legal custody" as used in child custody determinations to remove references to allocating, apportioning, or decreeing a division of joint decision-making, responsibilities, and authority between the parents. This act also modifies the definition of "joint physical custody" to change the amount of time with the child awarded to each parent from "significant, but not necessarily equal" to "equal or substantially equal".

In current law, there is a rebuttable presumption that an award of "equal or approximately equal" parenting time to each parent is in the best interests of the child. This act changes "approximately" to "substantially".

This act modifies the factors a court shall consider when awarding custody to parents, including the willingness and ability of parents to cooperate in the rearing of their child; any substance abuse history experienced by either parent; the history of domestic and child abuse of any individuals involved; the distance between the residences of the parents; and the unobstructed input of the child as to the child's custodial arrangement.

This act is identical to SB 638 (2025) and similar to SB 805 (2025), SCS/SBs 744 & 1026 (2024), provisions in the perfected SS/SCS/SBs 767 & 1342 (2024), HCS/SS#2/SB 862 (2024), and provisions of the perfected SS/SCS/SB 129 (2023).
SARAH HASKINS