Help Protect Foster Families From Vaccine Discrimination in AZ

Arizona legislators have introduced a good bill that ensures the Department of Child Safety (DCS) cannot refuse to place a child in a foster home based solely on the vaccination status of the child or any other children in the home.

This bill is essential to protect foster families from vaccine-related discrimination and ensure that children in need of a home are not unnecessarily denied placement.

HB 2257 prohibits DCS from discriminating against licensed foster homes based on vaccine status and expands these same protections to kinship foster homes (relatives of the child needing home placement). This ensures that qualified family members can foster children in their care without being denied solely due to vaccine status.

Adding a civil penalty and legal protections for families facing discrimination would strengthen the bill and ensure enforcement.

HB 2257 passed the full House on 2/26/2025. It is scheduled for a Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on 3/26/2025.

Please act today!

TAKE ACTION

Contact your Arizona State Senator and urge him/her to SUPPORT HB 2257.

Find your legislators here: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/

Calls are more effective than emails and only take a few minutes. Below is a Sample Script along with additional Talking Points. Use your own words when you call or email – a personal message is always more effective than a form message!

SAMPLE SCRIPT:

My name is _____, and I am a resident of _____. I strongly urge Senator ____ to support HB 2257, which protects foster families from discrimination based on vaccine status.

Arizona currently has nearly 14,000 children in foster care, yet only about 3,000 licensed foster families are available to take them in. This bill ensures that qualified families are not turned away solely due to their vaccination status, enabling more children to find safe, loving homes.

HB 2257 does not establish new exemptions; it simply ensures that foster families, including kinship foster caregivers, are not unfairly discriminated against based on medical decisions.

Children in foster care need stability, love, and nurturing. No child should be denied a home, and no foster family should be disqualified solely based on vaccination status.

Please support HB 2257 to safeguard foster families and children in need.

Thank you for your time and consideration.”

TALKING POINTS for calls and emails:

HB 2257 protects children needing foster care by ensuring they are not denied placement based solely on vaccination status.

Foster families should not face discrimination for making personal medical decisions.

Arizona has a severe shortage of foster families—with nearly five children for every licensed foster home, every qualified family should have the opportunity to foster.

Kinship foster families (relatives of children in need) should not be turned away simply because of vaccine status. Keeping children with family when possible is in their best interest.