A BILL for an Act to amend and reenact sections 14-09-00.1 and 14-09-29 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to parental rights and responsibilities; and to provide for application.

HB 1242 would establish a legal presumption that shared parenting (joint decisionmaking on major issues like education and health, plus approximately equal time with each parent) serves children's best interests in custody cases. This presumption applies unless a court finds specific exceptions, such as evidence of child harm, domestic violence involving serious injury or weapons, or sexual abuse. The bill requires courts to document specific reasons when overriding this presumption and mandates supervised parenting time for abusive parents in domestic violence cases. It directly affects parents in custody disputes and North Dakota courts handling parental rights decisions.