AB957 Requires Passage of SB599 Sans Judicial Training in SB331

Headlines concerning the passing of AB957 57:16 (partisan vote) suggest it only addresses and legislates "a judge to consider whether or not a parent “affirms” their child’s “gender identity".  However, there is no parameter or limitation in age to trigger that affirmation, either by the court, a parent, the child, a social worker, educator, relative, or neighbor.

So, while SB599 would seem to be a mirror bill to "Piqui’s Law: Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence Act." - SB339 (which was not linked to AB957) 

neither SB599 or AB957 creates another layer of safety for a child in the traumatic and triggering discussions of parental visitation by way of Judicial Council training.

Who was Piqui?  California Senate Bill (SB 616), or Piqui’s Law, is named after Aramazd “Piqui” Andressian Jr., a five-year-old boy who was murdered by his father.

It is SB331 that requires the Judicial Council to establish judicial training programs:

68555.5.

The Judicial Council shall report to the Legislature and the relevant policy committees, on or before January 1, 2025, and each January thereafter, on the trainings for judicial officers provided pursuant to Section 68555. The report shall include both of the following:

AB957:

Existing law governs the determination of child custody and visitation in contested proceedings and requires the court, for purposes of deciding custody, to determine the best interests of the child based on certain factors, including, among other things, the health, safety, and welfare of the child.

3011.

(a) In making a determination of the best interests of the child in a proceeding described in Section 3021, the court shall, among any other factors it finds relevant and consistent with Section 3020, consider all of the following:

(1) (A) The health, safety, and welfare of the child.

(B) As used in this paragraph, the health, safety, and welfare of the child includes, among other comprehensive factors, a parent’s affirmation of the child’s gender identity or gender expression. Affirmation includes a range of actions and will be unique for each child, but in every case must promote the child’s overall health and well-being.

Today's Law As Amended - AB-957 Family law: gender identity. (ca.gov)

Today's Law As Amended - SB-599 Visitation rights. (ca.gov)

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