HB2646 • 2026

children's bill of rights

HB2646 - children's bill of rights

Children Education Healthcare Parental Rights

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Sarah Liguori, Anna Abeytia, Cesar Aguilar, Lorena Austin, Junelle Cavero, Janeen Connolly, Oscar De Los Santos, Nancy Gutierrez, Aaron Márquez, Mae Peshlakai, Mariana Sandoval, Stephanie Simacek, Betty J Villegas, Analise Ortiz
Last action: 2026-01-21
Official status: House second read
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but no effective date is listed in the provided metadata or text.

Arizona Children's Bill of Rights

This law adds a new chapter to Arizona statutes declaring specific fundamental rights for children regarding family contact, health care consent, and public school enrollment.

What This Bill Does

Declares certain child rights as fundamental and requires any laws limiting them to be in the child's best interest, narrowly tailored to further a compelling government interest, and consider the child's expressed interest.
Guarantees a child the right to know their parents and visit or communicate with them even if they are detained or incarcerated without undue limits on that contact.
Allows children of any age to consent to specific health care services including contraception, pregnancy-related care, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, substance use disorders, and mental illness.
Establishes a child's right to request enrollment in a public school with the option for in-person instruction regardless of parental direction on education.
Defines who counts as a parent under this law while excluding the state when it holds custody through the Department of Child Safety.

Who It Names or Affects

Children living in Arizona
Parents, legal guardians, and people acting as parents to children
Public schools responsible for student enrollment
Health care providers offering services related to pregnancy, sexual health, substance use, or mental illness

Terms To Know

Fundamental rights: Basic legal protections that the government cannot easily take away and must protect unless there is a very strong reason.
Narrowly tailored: A rule or law that limits a right only as much as absolutely necessary to achieve an important goal.
Confidential health care services: Medical treatments where the details are kept private and do not require permission from parents or guardians.

Limits and Unknowns

The text does not specify an effective date for when these rules begin.
The law states that laws burdening rights must be in a child's best interest but does not list specific examples of what counts as the 'best interest'.

Bill History

2026-01-21 House
House second read
2026-01-20 House
House Rules: None
2026-01-20 House
House Health & Human Services: None
2026-01-20 House
House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2646 - children's bill of rights

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2646 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
children's bill of rights

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2646

Introduced by

Representatives
Liguori: Abeytia, Aguilar, Austin, Cavero, Connolly, De Los Santos,
Gutierrez, M�rquez, Peshlakai, Sandoval, Simacek, Villegas;� Senator Ortiz

AN
ACT

amending title 8, arizona revised
statutes, by adding chapter 7; relating to children's rights.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 8, Arizona Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding chapter 7, to read:

CHAPTER 7

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

ARTICLE 1. CHILDREN'S BILL OF
RIGHTS

START_STATUTE
8-931.

Children's bill of rights; fundamental rights; child's best
interest; parental relationship; health care; education; definition

A. A child's rights as provided in
this section are fundamental rights and any law or rule that burdens a child's
rights shall be in the child's best interest, shall be narrowly tailored to
further a compelling government interest and shall include the consideration of
the child's expressed interest.� A CHILD has the following fundamental rights:

1. To know and have a relationship
with the child's parent or parents.� This right includes the right to visit and
communicate with the child's parent or parents if the child's parent or parents
are detained or incarcerated without the imposition of conditions that would
unduly obstruct or limit the child's visitation and communication with the
child's parent or parents.

2. To health care.� A child shall be
considered competent to consent to the health care services prescribed in this
paragraph whether or not the child is a minor and with or without the consent
of the child's parent or parents.� A child shall have the right to health care
that includes the right to request and receive confidential health care
services relating to all of the following:

(
a
) Contraception,
pregnancy testing, prenatal care and other pregnancy-related care.

(
b
) Prevention,
diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

(
c
) Substance
use disorders or mental illness
.

3. To receive education at a public
school.� NOtwithstanding a parent's right to direct the child's education, a
child's right to an education includes the right of a child to express the
desire to receive education at a public school and to be enrolled in a public
school with the right to in-person instruction.

B. For the purposes of this section,
"parent":

1. means:

(
a
) A natural
or adoptive parent of a child.

(
b
) A legal
guardian of a CHILD or a person who is legally responsible for the child's
welfare.

(
c
) A person
who is acting as the parent of a CHILD and with whom the child lives or has
previously lived.

2. Does not include this state, if
the child is in the care and custody of the department of CHILD safety.
END_STATUTE