Bill > HB2604

This bill establishes a Child and Family Representation Program within the Arizona Supreme Court's Administrative Office of the Courts to improve legal representation for children and parents in dependency proceedings. The program will have multiple key responsibilities, including assessing and providing training for attorneys and judges, developing practice standards and caseload guidelines, auditing attorney performance, filing ethical complaints against lawyers who violate professional conduct rules, and working collaboratively with various child welfare stakeholders. The program aims to enhance legal representation quality by recommending fair compensation rates, seeking additional funding sources, and developing measures to assess counsel effectiveness. Specifically, the program will employ personnel like a child and family representation compliance chief, work with groups like the Department of Child Safety and the Attorney General's office, and help facilitate ethical complaint processes for foster parents, children, and biological parents. The bill also includes an annual reporting requirement to the state legislature, with a mandatory program review beginning in 2030 to determine its continued viability. To support these efforts, the bill appropriates $200,000 and one full-time equivalent employee from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to implement the program.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82429