HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1007        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1261

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Stephen L. DiNatale

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to great-grandparent visitation rights.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Stephen L. DiNatale

3rd Worcester

1/14/2015

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

1/20/2015

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

2/4/2015

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

2/3/2015

Diana DiZoglio

14th Essex

2/4/2015

Sheila C. Harrington

1st Middlesex

1/16/2015

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol

2/4/2015

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/27/2015

Frank A. Moran

17th Essex

2/4/2015

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

1/31/2015

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

1/15/2015

Dennis A. Rosa

4th Worcester

1/16/2015

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden

1/29/2015

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

1/30/2015

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

1/23/2015

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

1/21/2015


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1007        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1261

By Mr. DiNatale of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1261) of Stephen L. DiNatale and others relative to great-grandparent visitation rights of certain minor children.  The Judiciary.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to great-grandparent visitation rights.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 119 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 39D and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 39D. If the parents of an unmarried minor child are divorced, married but living apart pursuant to a temporary order or judgment of separate support, or if either or both parents are deceased, or if the unmarried minor child was born out of wedlock whose paternity has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction or whose father has signed an acknowledgement of paternity, and the parents do not reside together, the grandparents or great-grandparents of the minor child may be granted reasonable visitation rights to the minor child during his minority by the probate and family court department of the trial court upon a written finding that the visitation rights would be in the best interest of the minor child; provided, however, that the adjudication of paternity or acknowledgment of paternity shall not be required in order to proceed pursuant to this section where maternal grandparents or great-grandparents are seeking the visitation rights. No visitation rights shall be granted if the minor child has been adopted by a person other than a stepparent of the child and any visitation rights granted pursuant to this section prior to the adoption of the minor child shall be terminated upon the adoption without any further action of the court.

A petition for grandparent or great-grandparent visitation authorized pursuant to this section shall, where applicable, be filed in the county within the commonwealth in which the divorce or separate support complaint or the complaint to establish paternity was filed. If the divorce, separate support or paternity judgment was entered without the commonwealth but the child presently resides within the commonwealth, the petition may be filed in the county where the child resides.