HB2116 Summary

• Amends Arizona law governing child fatality review teams and maternal mortality review programs to expand access to information and records from healthcare providers and government agencies within five days of request.

• Authorizes law enforcement agencies, with prosecuting attorney approval, to withhold investigative records that could interfere with pending criminal investigations or prosecutions.

• Allows the Department of Health Services director to apply for court subpoenas to compel production of evidence related to child and maternal fatality investigations.

• Permits child fatality review team and maternal mortality review program members to contact, interview, or obtain information from close contacts and family members according to policies adopted by the respective teams/programs, with required trauma-informed training and support service education.

• Classifies violations of confidentiality requirements as class 2 misdemeanors; maintains confidentiality protections for team records and members' testimonies while allowing access to information obtained from independent sources.