HB25 revises Maryland’s grandparent visitation law by changing when an equity court may consider and grant visitation rights to a grandparent, and by adding circumstances in which the court must grant visitation if the statutory findings are met. Under the bill, a court may grant visitation when the petition is filed after a parent has filed for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity, and the court finds visitation is in the child’s best interests and would not interfere with the parent-child relationship. The bill also directs the court to consider the amount of prior personal contact between the grandparent and child when evaluating best interests.
The bill further requires a court to grant visitation in two additional situations: when the child lived with the grandparent for at least 12 months, or when the child’s parent who is the grandparent’s child is deceased, so long as the court also finds visitation is in the child’s best interests and would not interfere with the parent-child relationship. It also adds a procedural safeguard stating that a court may not deny visitation based on alleged interference with the parent-child relationship unless, after a hearing, the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that interference would occur.
Impact
HB25 amends Section 9-102 of the Maryland Family Law Article, narrowing and clarifying the standards governing grandparent visitation petitions in equity court. It shifts the statute from a general authorization to consider and grant visitation based on best interests into a more detailed framework that identifies when visitation may be granted and when it must be granted, while preserving the best-interests and noninterference requirements. The bill would affect grandparents, parents involved in custody-related proceedings, and courts handling family law disputes, and it would take effect October 1, 2026.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to summarize. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a policy preference for stronger and more predictable grandparent visitation rights in defined circumstances, while still preserving judicial review and parental relationship protections. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means overall support or opposition cannot be determined from the available materials.
Contention
The likely point of contention is the balance between grandparent access and parental autonomy. Supporters would likely favor the bill’s mandatory visitation provisions in cases involving a deceased parent or a child who lived with a grandparent for at least a year, as well as the clearer standards for courts. Opponents would likely focus on the bill’s expansion of court-ordered visitation and the possibility that it could intrude on a fit parent’s decisions, even though the bill retains best-interests and noninterference findings and requires a hearing before interference can be used to deny visitation.
Provides that a great-grandparent may apply to the supreme court for visitation rights with respect to certain minor great-grandchildren where either or both of the parents of such child is or are deceased.