Consideration when determining child custody: human trafficking.

Assembly Member Hoover's child custody legislation mandates California courts to consider evidence of human trafficking when determining a child's best interests in custody proceedings. The measure adds a new provision to the Family Code requiring judges to evaluate any relevant, admissible evidence that a parent engaged in human trafficking of either the child or the other parent.

The bill builds upon existing custody determination procedures, which already require courts to apply a rebuttable presumption against granting custody to parents who have perpetrated domestic violence. Under the new provision, courts must specifically examine human trafficking as an additional factor while maintaining current evidentiary standards and the broader framework for assessing a child's best interests. The legislation does not alter existing domestic violence provisions or create new presumptions, instead focusing solely on ensuring courts evaluate human trafficking evidence when present.