Committee hears sibling bill on custody and domestic-violence training for judges; technical and fiscal questions leave it in committee

Senate Bill 318, which would revise child-custody law to require more specific domestic-violence training for judges, was heard but not advanced by the Senate Finance and Claims committee. Sponsor Senator Lenz summarized the policy goal as ensuring district court judges receive instruction on prior abuse and related issues that can affect custody determinations.

Kathy Penny, finance director for the judicial branch, participated online and answered fiscal-note questions. Penny said the judicial branch’s fiscal-note assumptions include that an average of five new judges or standing masters may need a 20-hour orientation each fiscal year; the branch interpreted the bill as requiring a 20-hour orientation for new judges in addition to ongoing training. Committee members expressed concern about whether counties would bear additional training costs and whether the bill currently places district court judges in the correct code section (the fiscal note and multiple senators raised that the language as drafted may refer to courts of limited jurisdiction rather than district courts).

Senators pressed for clarity on training frequency and how the bill’s hours would intersect with existing CLE and judicial orientation requirements. Sponsor Lenz acknowledged the potential statutory-placement problem and agreed to investigate whether the provision belongs in a different section of law or needs drafting changes. The committee decided to keep the bill in Finance and Claims so it remains protected for transmittal and to give the sponsor time to propose technical fixes or amendments.

No formal motion or vote on SB 318 was taken in this hearing; the committee left it in committee pending sponsor corrections and further review.