Indian child welfare; custody proceedings

SB 1664 establishes jurisdiction rules for child custody cases involving Indian children in Arizona. It requires state courts to transfer custody cases to tribal courts when an Indian child resides or is domiciled on a reservation, or to transfer cases to tribal courts for children not on reservation unless specific prohibited reasons exist (like the case being advanced or negative perceptions of tribal systems). The bill ensures Indian tribes and Indian custodians can intervene in all such proceedings and mandates that Arizona courts give full legal recognition to tribal court decisions on child custody. This directly affects Indian children, their tribes, parents, and Arizona state courts handling custody cases.