Makes various changes relating to parentage. (BDR 11-140)
Summary
AB 371 revises Nevada’s parentage laws by replacing much of Chapter 126 with a new framework modeled on the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act. The bill modernizes terminology from “paternity” and “maternity” to gender-neutral “parentage,” and it expands the ways a legal parent-child relationship can be established. It covers birth parentage, presumptions based on marriage or domestic partnership, voluntary acknowledgments and denials of parentage, genetic testing, court adjudications, assisted reproduction, and gestational agreements.
The bill also creates new procedures and standards for disputes over parentage. It allows parentage actions to be filed before birth, limits when certain challenges may be brought, and authorizes courts in some cases to recognize de facto parents or even more than two legal parents if doing so is in the child’s best interest. It updates birth certificate procedures, child support-related provisions, confidentiality rules, and related statutes across the Nevada Revised Statutes to conform to the new parentage framework.
Impact
AB 371 would substantially revise Nevada’s parentage statutes by repealing several existing provisions in Chapter 126 and replacing them with a comprehensive Uniform Parentage Act-based scheme. It affects who may be recognized as a parent, how parentage is presumed or acknowledged, how genetic testing is used in parentage cases, and how courts resolve competing claims. The bill also amends numerous cross-referenced statutes involving adoption, child support, vital records, assisted reproduction, gestational surrogacy, public assistance, insurance coverage, and criminal penalties related to custody interference and misuse of genetic specimens.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote history was provided, so the public record here does not show recorded support or opposition. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be a broad modernization and harmonization effort, suggesting an intent to update Nevada law to reflect contemporary family structures, assisted reproduction, and gender-neutral terminology. The bill’s structure and extensive conforming amendments indicate a policy goal of clarity and uniformity rather than a narrow or incremental change.
Contention
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s expansion of legal parentage beyond traditional two-parent models, including recognition of de facto parents and the possibility of adjudicating more than two parents. Another sensitive area is assisted reproduction and gestational carrier law, especially the provision stating that a gestational carrier retains the right to make all health care decisions about the pregnancy and that contrary contract terms are void. The bill also narrows and time-limits challenges to acknowledgments and presumptions of parentage, which may concern parties who want broader opportunities to contest parentage or protect existing parental claims.