SB312

Senate Bill 312 amends Arkansas law regarding the establishment and disestablishment of paternity. It clarifies the definitions of acknowledged, adjudicated, and presumed fathers, as well as the presumed mother. The bill specifies that proceedings to adjudicate parentage may be commenced at any time, though individuals over 18 must initiate the proceedings themselves. It establishes clear criteria for disproving a father-child relationship, such as DNA test results showing a less than 95% probability of paternity or evidence of non-cohabitation and lack of public acknowledgment. The bill also outlines procedures for default paternity judgments based on a mother's affidavit of facts. Additionally, it provides a legal framework for transferring paternity cases between judicial districts and addresses how paternity determinations are handled within dependency-neglect cases under the Arkansas Juvenile Code.