SB 1174: DCS; intake hotline; case history - Arizona

Senate Engrossed Version (02/24/2026) → Chaptered Version · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into law (Chapter 153) and includes substantive updates to the centralized child intake hotline. Key changes include adding a requirement to assign specialized investigators for cases involving repeat allegations against the same caregiver and mandating that hotline calls regarding active court dependency cases be shared with the presiding judge. The text also corrects section numbering errors and adds official approval dates.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include mandatory information sharing between the hotline and courts handling active dependency actions, and it introduced new protocols for assigning investigators based on the frequency of reports against a specific caregiver.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates that hotline calls alleging abuse against a child in an active court dependency case must be disclosed to the court with jurisdiction.

Requires assigning a child safety specialist with at least two years of experience to investigate cases where four or more reports of abuse or neglect are received against the same caregiver within twelve months.

TECHNICAL

Corrected section numbering and formatting errors from the Senate version to align with the final chaptered text.

TIMELINE

Added official dates for Governor approval (June 19, 2026) and filing with the Secretary of State (June 22, 2026).

House Engrossed Version (04/16/2026) → Senate Engrossed Version (02/24/2026) · 3 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MINOR

The bill was renumbered from a House version to a Senate version, correcting the title and section numbering. The most significant substantive change is the removal of a provision requiring specialized investigators for cases involving repeated reports against the same caregiver, while other sections regarding hotline operations and definitions were re-lettered.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding mandatory specialized staffing for repeat abuse reports against the same caregiver was narrowed by removing the requirement.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted a rule requiring that investigations of repeated abuse reports against the same caregiver be assigned to specialists with at least two years of experience or advanced forensic training.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document title from 'House Engrossed' to 'Senate Engrossed' and updated the bill identifier from H Ver to S Ver.

Renumbered sections and subsections throughout the text (e.g., changing 'Section 1' to 'Section 1.1' and re-lettering subsections from 'j' to 'J', 'k' to 'I', etc.) to align with Senate formatting.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version (04/16/2026) · 4 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated from an introduced version to the House Engrossed version, incorporating substantive policy changes to strengthen child safety protocols. Key updates include extending the review period for hotline calls from 60 to 90 days, requiring specialized investigators for cases involving multiple reports against the same caregiver, and mandating that courts receive hotline information for children already in dependency proceedings. These changes aim to improve response times, ensure experienced staff handle complex cases, and enhance judicial oversight.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include mandatory disclosure of hotline calls to courts for children in existing dependency actions and to require specific experience or training for specialists handling repeat abuse allegations.

REQUIREMENT

Extended the required review period for hotline calls from 60 days to 90 days to ensure a more comprehensive history is considered during assessments.

Mandated that cases involving four or more reports against the same caregiver within 12 months be assigned to specialists with at least two years of experience or advanced forensic training.

ENFORCEMENT

Required the department to disclose hotline calls to the court for any child who is the subject of an active dependency action.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'Centralized intake hotline' to explicitly include the term 'hotline' for clarity.

DCS; intake hotline; case history

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