The Arizona state House Government Committee passed a bill mandating the Arizona Department of Child Safety and the state court system prioritize kinship placements when a child is taken into the state’s custody.
On Thursday afternoon, committee members voted 4-2 for House Bill 2035, with one representative voting "present."
HB 2035 adds extended family members to the list of people whom children may be placed with in DCS's cases.
The bill would also require the DCS to assume that placing children with an extended family member or a person with a significant relationship is in their best interests.
HB 2035 mandates that at preliminary protective hearings, the state family court system must presume placing children with extended family or with people with whom they have significant relationships is in the children's best interest.
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