Official Summary Text
SB1561 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1561
assisted living; notice;
study committee
Purpose
Establishes the
Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee and outlines membership, duties and
reporting requirements. Requires assisted living facility discharge or eviction
notices to provide a statement of the resident's rights.
Background
Laws 2024, Ch. 100
established the Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee to evaluate Arizona's
vulnerable adult system and make recommendations to improve coordination and
oversight. The Study Committee consisted of 25 members appointed by the
Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Speaker of the House)
and the Senate President and was assigned specified duties, including
researching and recommending best practices for coordination, investigations
into allegations of abuse or neglect, case management and data collection. In
2025, the Study Committee issued its final recommendations, including a
recommendation to extend the Study Committee to December 31, 2026. The Study
Committee was repealed on December 31, 2025 (
Vulnerable
Adult System Study Committee Final Report
).
The Arizona
Administrative Code prescribes requirements for termination of residency in
assisted living facilities. Residency may be terminated without notice if a
resident exhibits behavior that presents an immediate threat to the health and
safety of the resident or other individuals in the facility. Assisted living
facility managers may also terminate residency with 14 days' written notice for
nonpayment of fees or if the facility is unable to meet the resident's needs.
Termination for any other reason requires 30 days' notice. The notice must
include the date of and reason for termination, refund information and the
disposition of the resident's fees or deposits, contact information for the
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman and a copy of the resident's current service
plan (
A.A.C.
� R9-10-807
).
There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1.
Requires
assisted living facility discharge or eviction notices to provide a statement
of the resident's rights.
2.
Establishes
the 25-member Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee (Study Committee),
consisting of:
a)
two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of
the House, who are members of different political parties, one of whom to serve
as Co-Chairperson;
b)
two members of the Senate, appointed by the Senate President, who are
members of different political parties, one of whom to serve as Co-Chairperson;
c)
the Director of DHS or the Director's designee;
d)
the Director of DES or the Director's designee;
e)
the Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or the
Director's designee;
f)
one member representing the Governor's Office, appointed by the
Governor;
g)
one member representing the Attorney General's office, appointed by the
Attorney General;
h)
the current DES Long-Term Care Ombudsman or the Ombudsman's designee;
i)
a current public fiduciary, appointed by the Governor;
j)
two employees of a local law enforcement agency or statewide
organization representing law enforcement, appointed by the Governor;
k)
the Executive Director of the Navajo Area Agency on Aging or the
Executive Director's designee;
l)
the Executive Director of the Intertribal Council of Arizona or the
Executive Director's designee;
m)
two
members representing assisted living facilities, appointed by the Speaker of
the House;
n)
two members representing nursing care institutions, appointed by the
Governor;
o)
one member representing a statewide organization that advocates for
elderly vulnerable adults, appointed by the Senate President;
p)
one member representing a statewide organization that advocates on
behalf of persons affected by Alzheimer's disease, appointed by the Senate President;
q)
one
member representing a statewide association that advocates on behalf of persons
who provide services to persons with developmental disabilities, appointed by
the Speaker of the House;
r)
a licensed health care professional that provides health care services
to elderly vulnerable adults, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
s)
one member who serves on the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging,
appointed by the Governor; and
t)
one
member who represents a statewide association representing Arizona
firefighters, appointed by the Senate President.
3.
Requires
the Study Committee to:
a)
develop and implement a coordinated vulnerable adults delivery system
that ensures the health and safety of vulnerable adults;
b)
recommend best practices relating to responding and investigating
complaints;
c)
research best practices related to APS at the state, municipal and
community levels;
d)
research and make recommendations on how the vulnerable adult system can
ensure that vulnerable adults receive required services, including assigning a
specific agency the responsibility to provide or coordinate case management;
e)
research and identify common statewide outcomes;
f)
identify best practices for data collection and data sharing by various
entities involved in providing vulnerable adult services; and
g)
review
and recommend changes to the statutes and rules governing vulnerable adult
services.
4.
Allows the Co-Chairpersons of the Study Committee to designate work
groups to research, study and make recommendations to the Study Committee.
5.
Requires at least two work groups to be established to separately
address the needs of persons with developmental disabilities and persons who
are elderly or have a physical disability, including the training requirements
for persons providing care for these populations.
6.
Requires DES, in conjunction with the work groups, to develop an action
plan for implementation once a strategic direction is established.
7.
Specifies that public members are eligible for travel, lodging, meal and
incidental expense reimbursement.
8.
Requires, by October 1, 2026, and each October 1 thereafter, the Study
Committee to submit a report regarding its findings and recommendations to the
Governor, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House and to provide a
copy of the report to the Secretary of State.
9.
Repeals the Study Committee on January 1, 2029.
10.
Becomes
effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 16, 2026
MM/hk
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SB1561 - 572R - S Ver
Senate Engrossed
assisted living;
notice; study committee
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1561
AN
ACT
Amending title 36, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-420.06; relating to health care
institutions.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 36, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-420.06, to read:
START_STATUTE
36-420.06.
Assisted living facilities; eviction; discharge; notice;
statement of resident's rights
in any notice provided to a resident of an
assisted living facility on discharge or eviction, the assisted living facility
shall provide a statement of the resident's rights.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2.
Vulnerable adult
system study committee; membership; duties; report; delayed repeal
A. The vulnerable adult
system study committee is established consisting of the following members:
1. Two members of the house
of representatives who are appointed by the speaker of the house of
representatives and who are members of different political parties.� The
speaker of the house of representatives shall designate one of these members to
serve as cochairperson of the committee.
2. Two members of the
senate who are appointed by the president of the senate and who are members of
different political parties. The president of the senate shall
designate one of these members to serve as cochairperson of the committee.
3. The director of the
department of health services or the director's designee.
4. The director of the
department of economic security or the director's designee.
5. The director of the
Arizona health care cost containment system or the director's designee.
6. One member who
represents the governor's office and who is appointed by the governor.
7. One member who
represents the attorney general's office and who is appointed by the attorney
general.
8. One member who currently
serves as the department of economic security's long-term care ombudsman
or the ombudsman's designee.
9. One member who currently
serves as a public fiduciary and who is appointed by the governor.
10. Two members who are
employed by a local law enforcement agency or who are employed by a statewide
organization that represents law enforcement and who are appointed by the
governor.
11. The executive director
of the Navajo area agency on aging or the executive director's designee.
12. The executive director
of the inter tribal council of Arizona or the executive director's designee.
13. Two members who
represent assisted living facilities and who are appointed by the speaker of
the house of representatives.
14. Two members who
represent nursing care institutions and who are appointed by the governor.
15. One member who
represents a statewide organization that advocates for elderly vulnerable
adults and who is appointed by the president of the senate.
16. One member who
represents a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of persons
affected by Alzheimer's disease and who is appointed by the president of the
senate.
17. One member who
represents a statewide association that advocates on behalf of persons who
provide services to persons with developmental disabilities and who is
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
18. One health care
professional who is appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives
and who both:
(
a
) Is
licensed pursuant to title 32, Arizona Revised Statutes.
(
b
) Provides
health care services to elderly vulnerable adults.
19. One member who is on
the governor's advisory council on aging and who is appointed by the governor.
20. One member who
represents a statewide association representing firefighters in this state and
who is appointed by the president of the senate.
B. The vulnerable adult
system study committee shall:
1. Develop and implement a
coordinated vulnerable adult delivery system that ensures the health and safety
of vulnerable adults.
2. Recommend best practices
relating to responding to and investigating complaints.
3. Research best practices
related to adult protective services at the state, municipality and community
levels.
4. Research and make
recommendations on how the vulnerable adult system can ensure that vulnerable
adults receive services they require after the vulnerable adult system
completes its investigatory duties, including assigning a specific agency with
the responsibility to provide or coordinate case management.
5. Research and identify
common statewide outcomes.
6. Identify best practices
for data collection and data sharing by various entities involved in providing
vulnerable adult services.
7. Review and recommend
changes to the statutes and rules that govern vulnerable adult services.
C. The cochairpersons may
designate work groups to research, study and make recommendations to the study
committee.� At least two work groups shall be established to separately address
the needs of persons with developmental disabilities and persons who are
elderly or who have a physical disability, including the training requirements
for persons who are caring for these populations.
D. Once a strategic
direction is established, the department of economic security, in conjunction
with the work groups, shall develop an action plan for implementation.
E. Public members of the
study committee are eligible to receive reimbursement of expenses pursuant to
title 38, chapter 4, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes.
F. On or before October 1,
2026 and each October 1 thereafter, the study committee shall submit a report
of its findings and recommendations to the governor, the president of the
senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and shall provide a copy
of this report to the secretary of state.
G. This section is repealed
from and after December 31, 2028.