(This article comes courtesy of MissouriNet.)
Legislation that would give grandparents priority in certain child placement decisions is moving forward after receiving unanimous support in the Missouri House.
House Bill 2505 is sponsored by State Rep. David Dolan, R‑Sikeston, and would change how courts determine where children are placed when they cannot remain with their parents. Dolan said the legislation reflects the growing role grandparents play in raising children.
“The court could always look to a third‑party custody placement,” Dolan said. “In this case, all we did was add 11 words that said, ‘with priority given to the grandparent or grandparents of the child.’”
Dolan said the change updates existing law without limiting a judge’s options, emphasizing that courts would still be able to consider other placements when appropriate.
He said grandparents are often already caring for children before court involvement and should be considered first when custody decisions are made.
“If there’s going to be a change in custody, or if there’s going to be a modification of custody, let’s look to these grandparents,” Dolan said. “They probably have been the ones taking care of that child to begin with.”
The bill passed the House with bipartisan support and had its first hearing in the Missouri Senate on Wednesday.
https://house.mo.gov/BillContent.aspx?bill=HB2505&year=2026
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