Grandparent Visitation

The legislative session began January 12th in Olympia. Included in the proposed bills are two - one in the House and one in the Senate - dealing with grandparent visitation. The House proposal , HB 1607, is sponsored by 12 representatives. The Senate version, SB 5477, has 11 sponsors. Both proposals seek to correct constitutional deficiencies in the current visitation statute noted by the Washington State Supreme Court and "provide a viable means for grandparents to petition for visitation with their grandchildren." The proposals would amend existing statutes and include stringent criteria that must be met before visitation could be granted. A primary requirement of any petition would be a "significant relationship" with a grandchild.