By Alia Beard Rau
The Republic | azcentral.com
If you’d like to discuss family law, contact with Kaine Fisher, kfisher@roselawgroup.com.
A new Arizona law goes into effect Jan. 1 that may change how much time divorced parents get to spend with their children.
Senate Bill 1127 is among a handful of laws the Legislature passed this spring with delayed effective dates.
Most new laws went into effect in August. Those with January start dates include changes that affect attorney’s fees, landlords and fire districts.
The new custody law encourages joint parenting, including requiring the court to adopt a plan that “maximizes” both parents’ time with the child and forbids the court from giving one parent preference based on the parent’s or child’s gender.
Physical custody will now be called parenting time and legal custody will now be called legal decision-making authority. The parent with legal decision- making authority now has power over not just a child’s health and education but also personal-care matters like haircuts and ear piercing.
Under the new law, the court now must fine any parent who lies to the court or tries to delay court proceedings. Before, such fines had been optional. There are also stricter reporting requirements for parents to notify the other parent when they move a significant distance away.
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