shared parenting time; presumption; prohibition

HB 2296 amends Arizona law to remove a presumption that shared parenting time is automatically in a child's best interest. The bill requires courts to evaluate all relevant factors under Arizona Revised Statutes §25-403 without assuming shared parenting is preferable, focusing instead on individual circumstances like parental cooperation and child adjustment. It mandates courts to adopt parenting plans that "maximize" both parents' time when appropriate, while explicitly prohibiting gender-based preferences in custody decisions. This change directly affects family courts and parents involved in custody disputes across Arizona. The law emphasizes case-specific evaluations over standardized assumptions about parenting arrangements.