Senate File 2186 - Reprinted SENATE FILE 2186 BY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS (SUCCESSOR TO SF 2053) (As Amended and Passed by the Senate February 23, 2026 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to child custody and visitation for parents 1 subject to deployments. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 SF 2186 (2) 91 lh/jh/mb

S.F. 2186 Section 1. Section 598C.102, subsection 19, paragraph a, 1 Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. Active and reserve components of the army, navy, air 3 force, marine corps, space force, or coast guard of the United 4 States; the United States merchant marine; the commissioned 5 corps of the United States public health service; or the 6 commissioned corps of the national oceanic and atmospheric 7 administration of the United States. 8 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 598D.1 Definitions. 9 For purposes of this chapter, unless the context otherwise 10 requires: 11 1. “Child-custody determination” means the same as defined 12 in section 598B.102. 13 2. “Deploying parent” means a uniformed service member who 14 has been notified of impending short-term deployment and is any 15 of the following: 16 a. A parent of a child under a law of this state other than 17 this chapter. 18 b. An individual who has custodial responsibility for a 19 child under a law of this state other than this chapter. 20 3. “Other parent” means the same as defined in section 21 598C.102. 22 4. “Record” means the same as defined in section 598C.102. 23 5. “Short-term deployment” means the movement or 24 mobilization of a deploying parent for less than thirty days 25 pursuant to uniformed service member orders that meet any of 26 the following conditions: 27 a. Are designated as unaccompanied. 28 b. Do not authorize dependent travel. 29 c. Otherwise do not permit the movement of family members to 30 the location to which the deploying parent is deployed. 31 6. “Uniformed service member” means any of the following: 32 a. Active and reserve components of the army, navy, air 33 force, marine corps, space force, or coast guard of the United 34 States; the United States merchant marine; the commissioned 35 -1- SF 2186 (2) 91 lh/jh/mb 1/ 3

S.F. 2186 corps of the United States public health service; or the 1 commissioned corps of the national oceanic and atmospheric 2 administration of the United States. 3 b. The national guard of a state, whether or not activation 4 or performance of duties is pursuant to federal or to state 5 authority. 6 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 589D.2 Custody and visitation —— 7 short-term deployment. 8 1. a. A deploying parent who is unable to exercise any 9 court-ordered physical care or visitation with the deploying 10 parent’s child during a short-term deployment may make up the 11 missed physical care or visitation thirty days immediately 12 preceding the short-term deployment or thirty days immediately 13 following the short-term deployment. 14 b. The deploying parent may make up no more than the total 15 number of days of physical care or visitation days that will be 16 missed during the short-term deployment, not to exceed thirty 17 days. 18 2. a. To make up the missed physical care or visitation, 19 the deploying parent shall notify the other parent, in a 20 record, of a pending short-term deployment, not later than 21 seven days after receiving notice of the short-term deployment, 22 unless reasonably prevented from doing so by the circumstances 23 of service. If the circumstances of service prevent giving 24 notification within the seven days, the deploying parent shall 25 give the notification as soon as reasonably possible. 26 b. The deploying parent shall provide the other parent, 27 in a record, with a plan for fulfilling the physical care 28 or visitation missed during the short-term deployment. The 29 deploying parent shall provide the plan as soon as reasonably 30 possible after notification of short-term deployment is given 31 under paragraph “a” . 32 c. If a court order currently in effect prohibits disclosure 33 of the address or contact information of the other parent, 34 notification under paragraph “a” or provision of a plan under 35 -2- SF 2186 (2) 91 lh/jh/mb 2/ 3

S.F. 2186 paragraph “b” may be made only to the issuing court. If the 1 address of the other parent is available to the issuing court, 2 the court shall forward the notification to the other parent. 3 The court shall keep confidential the address or contact 4 information of the other parent. 5 3. The deploying parent shall file the plan for fulfilling 6 the missed physical care or visitation within any court that 7 has entered a child-custody determination in effect concerning 8 the child who is the subject of the plan. 9 -3- SF 2186 (2) 91 lh/jh/mb 3/ 3