Legislation

Arizona HB2124 would require courts to make on-record findings on each parental alienation claim and set expert-testimony standards. It is now in committee.

Illinois HB5176 would define parental alienation, safe parent, and high conflict in family law, and count alienation only as harm to a safe parent in court.

Kayden’s Law is the 2022 federal Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence Act, part of the VAWA reauthorization. It pays states to make custody courts safer for children in abuse cases. The text never says parental alienation, yet it shapes how courts handle alienation and reunification claims.

Massachusetts H.4017 would make courts recognize parental alienation as psychological child abuse. The bill was sent to study in March 2026 and is shelved.

New Hampshire HB1323 would make NH the first state to define parental alienation in statute and require courts to weigh it. It has now passed both chambers.

Ohio HB693 would write a definition of parental alienation into state law, inside a broader and politically contested custody bill. Status tracked monthly.

Piqui’s Law is California SB 331, effective January 1, 2024, and the state’s version of the federal Kayden’s Law. It requires judicial training on domestic violence and child abuse and bars courts from ordering reunification camps built on forced transport, no-contact orders, or custody transfers.

South Carolina H.4651 would require a parent found to have committed parental alienation to repay the other parent’s legal and reunification therapy costs.