By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona state Rep. Selina Bliss (R-LD1) received the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association’s (AzHHA) 2026 Legislator of the Year Award for her work on legislation allowing hospital personnel to delegate child abuse reports when necessary to continue caring for patients.
The association presented the award last week at the Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference in Tucson. Bliss, a nurse and nurse educator, chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Bliss was recognized in part for securing an amendment to Senate Bill 1127 that addresses how hospital staff meet their child abuse reporting obligations.. The legislation was signed into law in June.
“As a nurse, I know that what we pass at the Capitol has to work in a hospital,” Bliss said. “Reporting suspected child abuse is a serious responsibility, and we needed to make sure the law gave hospital staff a practical way to meet that responsibility while caring for their patients. I’m pleased we got that change into law, and I appreciate AzHHA’s recognition and its work on behalf of Arizona hospitals.”
The enacted legislation adds a requirement that mandated reporters with direct knowledge of child abuse or neglect immediately report it to the Department of Child Safety and prohibits them from delegating that report, subject to an exception for employees and agents of healthcare institutions.
Under that exception, those employees and agents may designate someone to make the report when delegation is reasonably necessary to continue patient care or comply with applicable standards of care, including state or federal legal obligations.
The provision also specifies that the law is not intended to require multiple reports from healthcare institution employees or agents concerning the same facts and circumstances that prompted a reasonable belief of abuse or neglect.
AzHHA identified the provision as particularly important for rural hospitals and facilities with limited resources.
“Representative Bliss brings a nurse’s perspective to every healthcare conversation at the Capitol,” said Damien Johnson, the association’s director of government relations. “On SB1127, she ensured Arizona’s child abuse reporting law protects children without pulling caregivers away from the bedside when patients need them most. Her steady, practical leadership has made a real difference for Arizona hospitals and the patients we serve.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
