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HB2662 • 2026
parenting time; expert testimony; qualifications
HB2662 - parenting time; expert testimony; qualifications
Children
Vetoed
The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.
- Sponsor
- Michele Peña, Michael Carbone, Lisa Fink, Rachel Keshel
- Last action
- 2026-06-19
- Official status
- Governor vetoed
- Effective date
- Not listed
Plain English Breakdown
The official status indicates the bill was vetoed; its legal effect depends on whether the legislature overrides the veto.
Rules for Expert Witnesses in Parenting Time Cases Involving Abuse
This bill sets rules about which experts can give testimony and what tests they can use when a parenting time case involves allegations of domestic violence or abuse.
What This Bill Does
- Requires expert witnesses to show both expertise and clinical experience working with victims of domestic violence or abuse before testifying in these cases.
- Stops courts from accepting expertise that comes only from being appointed by the court for similar legal proceedings.
- Limits experts to using psychological tests, principles, diagnoses, and concepts that are proven through research and generally accepted as valid and reliable.
- Bans the use of polygraph exams, voice-stress analysis, or other specific psychological measures as evidence in these hearings.
Who It Names or Affects
- Courts handling parenting time cases where domestic violence or abuse is alleged
- Expert witnesses who want to testify about domestic violence or abuse in family court
Terms To Know
- Parenting time proceeding
- A legal case involving decisions about how much time each parent spends with their child.
- Forensic nature
- Work done specifically for court cases or lawsuits, such as evaluations ordered by a judge.
- Empirically established
- Proven to be true and reliable through scientific study and testing.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not apply to law enforcement officers who have experience and training in recognizing domestic violence or abuse.
- This legislation was vetoed by the governor, so it did not become a new state law unless lawmakers overrode that decision.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: This amendment sets strict rules for expert witnesses in parenting time cases involving domestic violence, requiring them to have real-world experience with victims and banning certain types of psychological tests.
- Expert witnesses must prove they have both expertise and clinical experience working directly with victims of domestic violence or abuse.
- An expert's qualifications cannot come only from serving as a court-appointed evaluator in parenting time cases, nor can their work be solely forensic (done just for the lawsuit).
- Psychological tests used by experts must be proven to be valid and reliable through scientific research.
- Courts are not allowed to accept evidence from polygraph exams, voice-stress analysis, or other similar psychological measures.
- The amendment removes a previous exception that would have allowed law enforcement officers with domestic violence training to testify as experts without meeting the new clinical experience requirements.
- The text does not specify exactly how many years of experience an expert must have, only that they must demonstrate it.
Plain English: This amendment sets strict rules for expert witnesses in parenting time cases involving domestic violence, requiring them to have real-world experience with victims and banning certain types of psychological tests.
- Courts can only accept testimony from experts who have proven expertise and clinical experience working directly with victims of domestic violence or abuse.
- An expert's qualifications cannot come solely from serving as a court-appointed evaluator in parenting time cases, nor can their expertise be limited to forensic work done for litigation.
- Psychological tests used by these experts must be scientifically proven to be valid and reliable before they are accepted in court.
- The amendment bans the use of polygraph (lie detector) exams, voice-stress analysis, or other similar psychological measures as evidence.
- This text removes a previous exception that would have allowed law enforcement officers to testify without meeting these specific expert witness requirements.
- The amendment defines 'forensic' broadly to include any professional activity done for court orders or lawsuits, which limits what counts as acceptable expertise.
Bill History
-
2026-06-10
V
Governor vetoed
-
2026-06-09
House
House passed
-
2026-06-09
House
House passed
-
2026-04-21
House
House minority caucus
-
2026-04-16
House
Transmitted to House
-
2026-04-16
Senate
Senate third read passed
-
2026-04-15
Senate
Senate committee of the whole
-
2026-03-30
Senate
Senate minority caucus
-
2026-03-30
Senate
Senate majority caucus
-
2026-03-09
Senate
Senate second read
-
2026-03-05
Senate
Senate Rules: PFC
-
2026-03-05
Senate
Senate Federalism-Archived and Renamed Federalism and Family Law as of 03/10/2026: DPA
-
2026-03-05
Senate
Senate first read
-
2026-02-23
Senate
Transmitted to Senate
-
2026-02-23
House
House third read passed
-
2026-02-17
House
House minority caucus
-
2026-02-17
House
House majority caucus
-
2026-02-16
House
House consent calendar
-
2026-01-26
House
House second read
-
2026-01-22
House
House Rules: C&P
-
2026-01-22
House
House Judiciary: DP
-
2026-01-22
House
House first read
Official Summary Text
HB2662 - parenting time; expert testimony; qualifications
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
HB2662 - 572R - S Ver
Senate Engrossed
House Bill
parenting time;
expert testimony; qualifications
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
HOUSE BILL 2662
AN
ACT
amending
title 25, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section
25-407.01; relating to parenting time.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 25, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 25-407.01, to read:
START_STATUTE
25-407.01.
Parenting time hearings; domestic violence; abuse; expert witness
testimony; qualifications; prohibition; applicability; definitions
A. in any parenting time proceeding
in which a parent is alleged to have committed domestic violence or abuse, the
court may take testimony from an expert witness relating to the alleged
domestic violence or abuse only if the expert witness has demonstrated both
expertise and clinical experience in working with victims of domestic violence
or abuse.
The expertise and clinical experience may not
include expertise and experience that is generated soleLy from serving as a
court appointee in a parenting time proceeding or any related court proceeding.
The demonstrated expertise of the expert witness may not be solely of a
forensic nature.
b. Psychological testing, principles,
diagnoses and concepts that may be used by an expert witness under this section
are limited to testing, principles, diagnoses and concepts that have been
empirically established and generally accepted as valid and reliable for the
parameters and conditions tested or the issues evaluated.
c. The court may not allow evidence
relating to polygraph examinations, voice-stress analysis or other
psychological measures.
D. Subsection A of this section does
not apply to a law enforcement officer who has experience and training in
recognizing domestic violence or abuse.
E. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Abuse" has the same
meaning prescribed in section 8-201.
2. "Domestic violence" has
the same meaning prescribed in section 13-3601.
3. "Forensic" means any
professional activity undertaken pursuant to a court order or for use in
litigation, including the evaluation or treatment of a parent, child or other
individual who is involved in a parenting time proceeding.
END_STATUTE