SB 1661 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

paternity; genetic testing; support obligation

This bill modifies Arizona's child support laws to allow a presumed father to terminate future payments if genetic testing proves he is not the biological parent. Courts must order genetic testing and vacate paternity rulings when results confirm non-parentage, but past payments (arrears) remain fully enforceable. It directly affects parents legally challenging paternity through court proceedings. The change applies only to future support obligations, not amounts already owed.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Last action Mar 3, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill reformulates Arizona's paternity and child support statutes, adding new provisions for automatic review of support orders every three years, clarifying when support obligations end (including marriage between obligor and obligee), and updating the definition of when a child is emancipated. The changes modernize enforcement procedures and provide clearer mechanisms for challenging paternity based on genetic testing.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of child support enforcement by adding automatic review mechanisms and clarifying termination conditions, while maintaining the core framework for paternity presumptions and genetic testing requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added new subsections requiring child support orders to be reviewed every three years in Title IV-D cases without requiring proof of changed circumstances

Added provisions stating that child support automatically terminates when the obligor and obligee marry, with arrearages only collectible for the period before marriage

Reorganized and clarified the statute regarding payment allocation when an obligor supports multiple families

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of child emancipation to include specific conditions like marriage, 18th birthday, adoption, death, or termination of extended support obligations

ENFORCEMENT

Added new provisions regarding voluntary relinquishment of custody as an affirmative defense to child support arrearage enforcement

Added provisions allowing parties to request written judgments for support arrearages with specific notice and hearing requirements

TIMELINE

Added specific timeframes for filing requests for hearings on disputed arrearage amounts (20 days in-state, 30 days out-of-state)

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors