An Act relative to shared parenting

This bill modifies Massachusetts divorce laws to establish a legal presumption that parents should share both legal and physical custody of their minor children unless specific exceptions apply. Under the new rules, courts must assume equal parenting rights for both parents unless there is evidence of emergency conditions, abuse, or neglect that would harm the child. Judges are required to provide written findings to justify any order granting sole custody to one parent rather than shared custody. Additionally, the law clarifies that changes in a parent's availability or a child's developmental stage are automatically considered significant reasons to update a parenting schedule.