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AFCCA Updates
This week, we met with Senator Shwanna Bolick regarding SB1668 (disposition; remains; authorization; legal decision making). This bill is a combination of HB2181 (death certificates; funeral establishments; timeline) and HB2184 (fetal death; funeral homes) both sponsored by Representative Julie Willoughby (R – Chandler). This legislation extends the timeline for completing and registering death certificates from seven calendar days to 14 days, excluding weekends and holidays. Additionally, it mandates that funeral establishments obtain a disposition-transit permit for the transfer of unborn human remains from a hospital or clinic when specific gestational or weight criteria are met and the woman authorizes the transfer. Lastly, the order of authority for the remains of a deceased minor is modified to defer to any existing legal decision-making awards or parenting plans that assign final authority.
This bill comes from a small group of constituents with the exact text coming from legislative drafting specialists based on the concerns of these constituents. The sponsor has offered to amend the bill if needed but does not see much of a path forward for the legislation.
HB2184 (fetal death; funeral homes) sponsored by Representative Julie Willoughby (R – Chandler) was voted out of the House of Representatives along party lines. This bill will likely continue to meet a similar partisan fate in the Senate, making it likely be met with a veto once it hits the governor’s desk.
The oral proceedings for the final version of the proposed rules takes place on Monday, March 9, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. These rules took almost two years and countless hours of meetings and research on all sides to complete. The rules exemplify the culmination of a thorough stakeholder process and determination to protect this industry. We are happy with the rules as written and have authored a letter of support on behalf of the association that will be sent to the Governor’s office as well as to the Department of Health Services.
If you would like to come to the oral proceedings, please reach out to Eva Brauer at eva@azcapitolconsulting.com for information regarding how to RSVP as well as the location of the oral proceedings.
You can track the status of these bills on your live interactive tracking link found here –Skywolf AI– this link will automatically update as the bills move through the process. As always please do not hesitate to let me know if you would like to make any additions or removals from your bill tracking list.
Arizona Legislative Session Weekly Report – Week Seven
You can find your live interactive tracking link here –Skywolf AI– this link will automatically update as the bills move through the process.
This week’s update highlights Crossover Week at the Arizona Legislature, a critical juncture of the session defined by accelerated legislative activity. Despite a record number of introduced bills, many did not advance, with the committee process serving as a primary gatekeeping stage. Both chambers operated at an accelerated pace to meet crossover deadlines, and attention now shifts to second chamber hearings and negotiations ahead of the final March 27 committee deadline. The Legislature is also entering “striker season,” where strike-everything amendments will be used to revive failed proposals and advance late-session priorities.
As the session progresses, this newsletter outlines what to expect in the coming weeks, including the broader implications of delayed budget negotiations and tax conformity reforms between the Legislature and the Governor.
The Legislative Bottleneck
Crossover Week at the Arizona Legislature proved to be one of the most demanding periods of the session to date. Following a historically high volume of bill introductions lawmakers raced to move as many bills as possible out of their chamber of origin and over to the opposite chamber.
Most of the bills Arizona Lawmakers introduced this session are already dead. However, they didn’t die in public votes, instead, they stalled earlier, where leadership determines which proposals move forward to receive a committee hearing, and which do not. The committee process represents one of the Capitol’s most powerful bottlenecks. Less than half of all introduced bills were heard in a committee ahead of last week’s deadline, and only 5% of the bills voted on in committees were sponsored by Democrats.
To clear through the legislation that did pass through a committee, both the House and Senate pushed through audacious schedules, attempting to move over 100 bills per day through each chamber. Typically a bill is debated on the floor one day, and then formally voted out of the chamber the next day or early the following week. However, since the final committee deadline for all bills is only four weeks away on March 27, this process is accelerated as bills race to their second chamber to begin the fight over the limited committee time left in the legislative session.
As deadlines tighten in the session, the pace of bills also will accelerate. Oftentimes immediately after bills are debated on the floor leadership will decide to “flip” the Committee of the Whole agenda “COW.” The COW agenda is “flipped” when it is immediately moved to a Third Read agenda for a final vote. This allows leadership to advance dozens of bills to their next chamber daily.
A Marathon of Endurance
This year in particular, the pressure of these goals and long days placed additional pressure on an already divided legislature. Tensions reached their peak Wednesday, culminating in a 21 hour floor marathon in the House of Representatives. Beginning early Wednesday morning, Representatives settled in for a rare display of pure procedural endurance usually saved for the very end of the session in a final legislative push before sine die. The House adjourned for the week just after 5am on Thursday morning. The House Third Read over 200 bills in just one day, a feat many hope to not repeat again.
What Next?
Following crossover week, the process for the surviving bills starts all over again. Next week, committees will begin hearing bills from the opposite chamber before the next major deadline. If a bill is amended in the opposite chamber, it must be sent back to its chamber of origin for a final vote before being sent up to Governor Hobbs for a signature or veto. Long committee agendas and consistent floor action will continue as we race towards the committee deadline and, shortly after, the 100 day mark.
“Striker Season”
Here’s the thing: A bill is never truly dead at the Arizona Legislature.
As bills move through the second chamber, amendments will become more common and stakeholder negotiations will intensify. One of the primary tools used during this stage is the striker amendment. Also known as a “strike-everything” amendment, a striker allows lawmakers to replace the entire contents of a bill with new language, effectively repurposing existing legislation as a vehicle for proposals that did not meet earlier deadlines. Policy concepts that failed in one chamber can be revived in the next, negotiated agreements are often introduced as strikers as late-session priorities begin to take shape. Strike-everything amendments are a routine and powerful part of the legislative process in Arizona.
Budget Outlook
With the Legislature’s focus heavily concentrated these last two weeks on meeting deadlines and crossover week, formal budget negotiations have still not yet begun in earnest. Leadership has largely prioritized moving policy bills through the process. As the session transitions into the second half, attention is expected to increasingly shift toward budget development. However, with limited time remaining and ongoing policy negotiations, the timeline for reaching a final budget agreement remains uncertain.
In addition, a tax conformity agreement has not yet been reached, increasing the likelihood that nearly one-third of taxpayers may need to refile their state returns due to a mismatch between state forms and enacted law.
Ballot Referrals to Watch
Lawmakers are advancing a slate of ballot referrals for the November election. By referring measures to the ballot, the Legislature can send policy proposals directly to voters for approval, bypassing the Governor’s veto authority.
The Senate has already approved five ballot proposals this week, many focused on election policy and education-related issues. If this pace continues, Arizona could see another lengthy ballot similar to 2024, when a high number of referrals created operational challenges for county election officials.
By the Numbers:
Days of Session: 47
Bills Introduced: 1966
Bills Passed: 14
Bills Signed: 3
Bills Vetoed: 11
Key Dates:
Opening Day: January 12th, 2026
Senate Bill Introduction Deadline: February 2nd, 2026
House Bill Introduction Deadline: February 9th, 2026
Last week to hear bills in committee in chamber of origin: February 16th to February 20th
Final week of committees: March 23rd to March 27th
100th day of session: April 21st, 2026
Budget Deadline (constitutionally required): July 1st, 2026