CHILDREN/CUSTODY: Provides relative to custody and child support

HB 473 establishes a presumption that shared legal and physical custody is in a child's best interest, requiring courts to assume shared custody is appropriate unless clear evidence shows it's not feasible or harmful. It changes child support calculations for voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parents by mandating support based on estimated earning potential (using Louisiana wage surveys), unless the parent is incapacitated or caring for a young child. The bill also requires court orders in shared custody cases to equally allocate legal decision-making authority between parents, unless the court determines otherwise for the child's best interest. This directly affects parents involved in custody disputes and courts handling family law cases in Louisiana.