Senators moved and the Senate Judiciary Committee adopted a consolidated amendment to Senate Bill 174 that revises standards and procedures for child-parenting determinations, the committee chair said.

Senator Gabbard moved to adopt amendment 10-79, described as an omnibus amendment that combined several stakeholder-driven changes. The amendment requires courts to provide written findings of fact when rejecting parenting plans or denying substantially equal parenting time, adjusts how temporary orders and pattern-of-relationship evidence are considered, clarifies fee waivers and filing options for unmarried parents after paternity establishment, and makes technical changes to child-support presumptions for custodial and noncustodial parents.

Ranking members and sponsors said the package reflected further conversations with interested parties and sought to better equalize allocations while preserving a child's best interest. The chair asked if there was any objection; seeing none, the committee adopted the amendment and the bill "will stand as the fourth hearing on Senate Bill 174."