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Panel approves bill barring DCS from declining placements solely for vaccination status; proponents, public-health groups clash
Summary
House Bill 22-57 (as amended) prevents the Department of Child Safety from refusing to place a child with a foster or kinship home solely on the vaccination status of other children in the home; the committee advanced the bill after competing testimony from foster-parent advocates and public-health witnesses.
House Bill 22-57 (as amended) bars the Department of Child Safety (DCS) from refusing to place a child in a foster or kinship home solely because the child or other children in the household are unvaccinated. The bill extends an existing statutory prohibition on denying licensure due to immunization status to the placement decision itself.
Sponsor Representative Fink said the bill is aimed at reducing placements in congregate care by expanding the pool of family homes available to foster children. Supporters included former foster-parent advocates and individuals who described families who could take younger children only if vaccination status did not block placement; they urged removing barriers that keep young children in group-care settings.
Public-health witnesses, including Ashley Chambers of Arizona Families for Vaccines, opposed the bill as written. Chambers argued infants and young children have developing immune systems and that placing them with unvaccinated household members increases the risk of severe vaccine-preventable disease; she warned of avoidable hospitalizations and stated the state bears resulting costs. The Arizona Judicial Council and DCS testified about current DCS practice: ARS 8-509(j) already prevents licensing rejection based solely on immunization status, but DCS stated policy has been to avoid placing very young children with unvaccinated households; DCS and the Judicial Council expressed concern about health risks for infants under age five.
Committee members debated whether to exclude very young children from the bill’s placement rule; Representative Villegas said he could support the concept if infants and toddlers were excluded. The committee adopted an amendment to clarify kinship placements and advanced the bill as amended.
Ending: The committee returned HB 22-57 as amended with a due-pass recommendation; members signaled willingness to continue discussion about age-based risk and DCS placement policy.
