HB 4042 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

termination; parent-child relationship; service

HB 4042 amends Arizona law governing when a court may terminate a parent's legal rights to a child. It specifies 12 grounds for termination, including abandonment, neglect or abuse, parental mental illness or substance abuse, certain criminal convictions (like murder of another child), failure to establish paternity, and prolonged out-of-home placement without parental progress. The law requires courts to prioritize the child's best interests and consider whether reunification services were offered to the parent. It also clarifies that the first 60 days of a child's out-of-home placement cannot count toward time requirements for termination under specific circumstances.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Jun 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Signed Jun 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Engrossed Version (02/26/2026) → Chaptered Version · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill finalizes House Bill 4042 by adding new definitions for sexual assault and sexual intercourse, clarifying that out-of-home placement timeframes do not include the first 60 days, and updating the notice requirements to explicitly mention the tribe of an Indian child. It also adds a specific waiver provision for potential fathers who fail to file paternity actions promptly.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include specific definitions for sexual offenses and procedural clarifications regarding Indian child welfare and paternity timelines.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'sexual assault' and 'sexual intercourse' to clarify grounds for terminating parental rights based on sexual assault allegations.

TIMELINE

Clarified that the first 60 days of an initial out-of-home placement should not be counted when calculating the cumulative time required to terminate parental rights.

REQUIREMENT

Explicitly required that the tribe of an Indian child be notified of the initial hearing, aligning with federal Indian child welfare laws.

Added a specific provision stating that potential fathers who fail to file paternity actions within 30 days waive their right to notice regarding termination of parental rights.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 9, 2026 · House Feb 26, 2026

How they voted

27–2

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 30

Jun 9, 2026

D Democratic13

12 Yea 1 Nay

92% Yea

R Republican17

15 Yea 1 Nay 1

88% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 19, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by Governor

executive

Jun 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors