Hillary Moonay presented testimony to the House Judiciary Committee regarding HB 2018

On June 20, 2024,  Hillary Moonay, Partner and Co-chair of Obermayer’s family law department, presented testimony to the House Judiciary Committee regarding HB 2018. As Chair of the PBA Family Law Section, Hillary successfully advocated for the approval of the Section’s recommendations by the PBA House of Delegates. House Bill 2018 decreases the number of custody factors a court must consider when making an award of custody.  Currently, Section 5328 of the Domestic Relations Code requires the court to consider 16 different factors.  House Bill 2018 proposes to decrease that number to 12 by consolidating and streamlining the factors, many of which are overlapping and redundant. 

In her testimony, Hillary stated:

“Consolidating the factors as proposed in HB 2018 makes them more streamlined and simplified. In turn, this will increase judicial efficiency in the administration of child custody matters and serve to decrease the backlog of family court cases. Reducing the custody factors would have a positive impact on custody litigation for litigants, attorneys, and judges by providing a more manageable list of factors. Such consolidation would allow for more consistency and clarity in rulings, promoting fairness in these cases. By streamlining the custody factors, the time and resources required for custody litigation would decrease, therefore reducing the cost. Importantly, the legal process would be more accessible and less of a financial burden to families, ensuring that the focus remains on the child’s best interests rather than on procedural complexities.”

Read Hillary’s full testimony here.