Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

S 304 — An act relating to parental rights and responsibilities

Last action — Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 23, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Not enough signal yet

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

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Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

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Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption in favor of shared parental rights and responsibilities in the context of child custody and modifies how courts determine the best interests of the child.

  • 15 V.S.A. § 650

    the legislature General Assembly finds and declares as public policy that after parents have separated or dissolved their civil marriage, it is in the best interests of their minor child children to have the opportunity for maximum continuing physical and emotional contact with both parents and encourages parents to share in the rights and responsibilities of raising their children after the parents have separated or divorced, unless direct physical harm or significant emotional harm to the child or a parent is likely to result from such contact. → the legislature General Assembly finds and declares as public policy that after parents have separated or divorced, it is in the best interests of their minor children to have the opportunity for maximum continuing physical and emotional contact with both parents and encourages parents to share in the rights and responsibilities of raising their children after the parents have separated or divorced, unless direct physical harm or significant emotional harm to the child or a parent is likely to result from such contact.

    This change clarifies that shared parental responsibilities are encouraged after separation or divorce.

  • 15 V.S.A. § 665

    There shall be a rebuttable presumption that shared parental rights and responsibilities are in the best interests of the child. → There shall be a rebuttable presumption that shared parental rights and responsibilities are in the best interests of the child.

    This addition formally establishes a legal presumption favoring shared parental rights.

  • 15 V.S.A. § 665

    the court shall award parental rights and responsibilities primarily or solely to one parent → the court shall award parental rights and responsibilities primarily or solely to one parent unless shared parental rights are deemed to be in the best interests of the child.

    This change requires the court to prioritize shared custody unless it is not in the child's best interest.

  • 15 V.S.A. § 664

    “Parental rights and responsibilities” means the rights and responsibilities related to a child’s physical living arrangements, education, medical and dental care, religion, travel, and any other matter involving a child’s welfare and upbringing. → “Parental rights and responsibilities” means the rights and responsibilities related to a child’s physical living arrangements, education, medical and dental care, religion, travel, and any other matter involving a child's welfare and upbringing, including the rights and responsibilities to determine and allocate parenting time and decision-making authority.

    This change expands the definition of parental rights and responsibilities to include decision-making authority.

Action History

  1. Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 189 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (189)

189 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 304?
S 304 is sponsored by Terry K Williams (Republican).
What is the current status of S 304?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced January 23, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 304?
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