Dear friends,  tomorrow is the FINAL Senate vote on the ONLY Family Court reform bill that didn't "die in committee". This bill is CRUTIAL. 

1. It prohibits Family Court from ordering a party to pay for "TIs" (Therapeutic Interventions) 

2. Requires that expert witnesses in areas like child development, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence have specific expertise and clinical experience. 

3. Ensures expert recommendations are supported by established professional standards, not unproven and harmful THEORIES

Subject: Please Vote YES on HB 2256 and push for a Bipartisan DDD Solution

Dear Senator [Last Name],
As a concerned Arizona parent, I’m writing to respectfully urge your YES vote on HB 2256. 
This bill is an essential step forward to protect families from unjust financial burdens and ensuring that only qualified, clinically experienced professionals can offer expert testimony in parenting time and legal decision-making proceedings. Currently, unqualified individuals are often making harmful recommendations that deeply affect children’s lives. 
The provisions in HB2256 offer overdue protection for families navigating custody disputes and they safeguard children from interventions that may be inappropriate, unnecessary, and often traumatic.
I also urge you to lead on encouraging your colleagues in the House to prioritize a bipartisan solution to Arizona’s DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) funding crisis. Arizonans need both parties to come together urgently to deliver meaningful solutions, so other critical bills aren’t jeopardized once they reach the Governor’s desk.
Thank you for your leadership and for standing up for child well-being and family safety in Arizona.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City or District]

AZ State Senators’ Email Addresses:  
lalston@azleg.gov, hangius@azleg.gov, sbolick@azleg.gov, fbravo@azleg.gov, fcarroll@azleg.gov, eva.diaz@azleg.gov, tdunn@azleg.gov, mepstein@azleg.gov, dfarnsworth@azleg.gov, bfernandez@azleg.gov, mfinchem@azleg.gov, rgabaldon@azleg.gov, sgonzales@azleg.gov, dgowan@azleg.gov, thatathlie@azleg.gov, jake.hoffman@azleg.gov, jkavanagh@azleg.gov, lkuby@azleg.gov, vleach@azleg.gov, jmesnard@azleg.gov, cmiranda@azleg.gov, analise.ortiz@azleg.gov, kpayne@azleg.gov, wpetersen@azleg.gov, wrogers@azleg.gov, ksears@azleg.gov, jshamp@azleg.gov, tshope@azleg.gov, psundareshan@azleg.gov, cwerner@azleg.gov

Sign this petition to express strong support for HB2296 and urge Arizona’s Legislators and Governor to pass this critical Court reform bill.

Arizona’s presumption of shared parenting time results in equal 50/50 custody orders in nearly every case. Family court must be reformed or replaced with a system that prioritizes children's needs, safety, and physical and emotional well-being—not artificial equality between parents.

The presumption of 50/50 custody overrides the true "best interest" of children, pushing judges to ignore individual circumstances and force an exact division of time, even when it is harmful or inappropriate. The burden placed on a protective parent—most often the mother—to prove their child is in danger is an insurmountable legal hurdle in a courtroom that lacks essential democratic protections such as an impartial jury trial, the right to free legal counsel, and the right to present all evidence. This system enables abusers, punishes protective parents, and forces children into unsafe environments.

The Reality of 50/50 Custody

The Arizona Supreme Court Parenting Time Guidelines (based on decades of research, backed by child development experts) make clear that 50/50 parenting is only recommended when both parents agree to it. Before equal custody was presumed, custody arrangements were typically 70/30, providing children with a stable home while ensuring that the non-custodial parent had frequent and meaningful contact. Research confirms that children thrive with consistency and uninterrupted attachment to their primary caregiver—not constant disruption between two households.

Since Arizona began imposing the reckless experimental legal presumption, many thousands of children have suffered. 

Physical custody decisions should be tailored to the specific circumstances of each family. Prioritizing the child's safety, emotional well-being, and stability is paramount in determining the most appropriate custody arrangement.

Protective Parents Are Being Silenced

The cases that reach family court are "high-conflict", involving power imbalances, coercion, and abuse. These cases typically involve a protective parent pleading for limited or supervised visitation with the other parent due to abuse, neglect, or instability. Even in these cases, under the current presumption, judges default to imposing equal custody regardless of the child's well-being. Instead of prioritizing safety, the system empowers abusive parents to weaponize court proceedings and punishes parents for trying to protect their children. 

A Path Forward

HB2296 amends family code law to:

• Restore Arizona’s "best interest of the child" standard and remove the harmful presumption of 50/50.
• Minimize instability for the child following the parent's separation.
• Prioritize the child's relationship with their primary bonded parental caregiver. 
• Ensure that cases with abuse allegations are taken seriously and not dismissed under the guise of "parental rights."

Additional needed reform not covered under HB2296:

Almost every parent deserves parenting time with their child. However, that does not mean forced 50/50 for all. Instead,  we should:

• Make supervised visitation centers free so that finances are not a barrier to ensuring safe parent-child contact.

The child support calculator incentivizes some unfit fathers to pursue 50/50 custody, economically disadvantaging single mothers and their children. Financial depravation contributes to worse health outcomes, lower education, housing instability, and stress, all of which harm a child’s development. We must:

• Reform the child support calculator so custody is based on a child’s needs—not financial incentives. 

Arizona Families Demand Change

HB2296 passed the House with overwhelming support (37-21). Now, "We The People" call upon the Senate and Governor Hobbs to do the same. Protect our children. Prioritize their safety and stability. End the presumption of equal parenting and restore justice to Arizona families.