HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 535        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1608

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael P. Kushmerek

_________________

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:

Michael P. Kushmerek

3rd Worcester

1/13/2023

Vanna Howard

17th Middlesex

1/31/2023


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 535        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1608

By Representative Kushmerek of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1608) of Michael P. Kushmerek and Vanna Howard relative to great-grandparent visitation rights.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1719 OF 2021-2022.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

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.