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SB 863 - Under current law, upon a finding of paternity by a court, the parties to a paternity action may submit, either separately or jointly, a parenting plan to establish a child custody order. This act requires the parties to file the paternity action. In such instances when the parenting plan is filed separately, the court shall determine whether the parties shall be referred for mediation services or whether a guardian ad litem shall be appointed for the child during the pendency of the custody determination. If a parenting plan is submitted and is determined by the court to be in the best interests of the child considering resources in the community such as mediation services, parenting coordination or parenting classes that may be available for the parents to ensure the success of the parenting plan, the court shall order a parenting plan for such child. The Family Support Division within the Department of Social Services shall pursue any funding through the federal Access and Visitation grant program, or any successor grants or funding that may be available, to fund the costs of the community resources specified under this act. ADRIANE CROUSE
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