A bill for an act allowing a court to grant a grandparent or great-grandparent visitation rights of a child in certain circumstances.

HF 2423 would change Iowa law to allow courts to grant grandparent or great-grandparent visitation rights when a parent is deceased, without requiring proof that the surviving parent is unfit or that parental judgment is impaired. It maintains existing requirements that the grandparent had a substantial pre-existing relationship with the child and that visitation serves the child's best interests. The bill directly affects grandparents or great-grandparents seeking court-ordered visitation with a grandchild after a parent's death. This simplifies the legal standard for courts deciding such cases by removing a specific barrier under current law.