Arizona custody safety bill inspired by mother's tragedy passes Senate
Family court reform bill moves forward in Arizona Senate
The Arizona Senate passed the Alec and Lydia Act, following a push by a mother whose two children were killed by their father during unsupervised custody. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
PHOENIX - An Arizona mother's push for family court reform is gaining momentum. The Senate passed a bill on June 9 inspired by her unimaginable loss after her two kids were killed by their father in a murder-suicide in 2024.
What we know:
Hope Hooton is fighting to fix a system that she says failed her family. She believes if this bill had been a law back then, her kids would still be alive today. Hooton is now turning grief into purpose.
"To keep children safe. To make sure that judges have the right criteria to use when abuse and domestic violence are prevalent in a case and to make sure that it holds judges accountable," Hooton said.
The backstory:
That is the driving force behind House Bill 2995, also known as the "Alec and Lydia Act," named in honor of Hooton’s children. They were shot and killed by their father, who then turned the gun on himself in May 2024 during his court-granted unsupervised parenting time.
"The judge granted 50-50 unsupervised custody to their father despite domestic violence and coercive control aspects in our relationship and severe mental illness, so we’re just making sure this doesn’t happen again," Hooton said.
Dig deeper:
The bill would force courts to prioritize safety over equal time during custody battles involving domestic violence.
"Now judges have to take into consideration if there’s domestic violence. That is a huge factor as to determining if they get parenting time and—or supervised or unsupervised parenting time," Representative Lisa Fink said.
Why you should care:
It’s a mandate Hooton says came too late for her own family, but one that could save countless others.
"We've been working on this for almost a year now. And it's great that it's finally happening and gonna pass for the protection of children all across Arizona," Hooton said.
What's next:
The bill will now go back to the House for a final vote. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Hobbs' desk.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Hope Hooton and Representative Lisa Fink.