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AFCCA Updates
This week, SB1668 (disposition; remains; authorization; legal decision making), sponsored by Senator Shwanna Bolick, made its way out of the Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency committee on a party line vote (4-3). 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.
We have raised questions regarding the inclusion of the requirement for a disposition-transit permit in the legislation and are looking forward to a response from the bill sponsor. We remain in conversation with Senator Bolick and Representative Willoughby to answer any questions regarding current best practices for the industry.
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 Six
This week’s update covers continued high-profile and often contentious legislative activity, as lawmakers navigate major policy debates amid a highly partisan environment. We also highlight the Legislature’s approach to key procedural deadlines, including the close of committee hearings in chambers of origin and the transition into “Crossover Week,” a critical juncture that will shape the trajectory of the remainder of the session.
Additionally, this report provides an overview of Governor Hobbs’ newly announced ethics reform package and the ongoing political and policy discussions surrounding transparency and procurement practices. We also cover notable political developments, including the announced resignation of Representative Joseph Chaplik.
As the session progresses, this newsletter outlines what to expect in the coming weeks, including increased floor activity, the use of strike-everything amendments, and the broader implications of delayed budget negotiations and tax conformity reforms between the Legislature and the Governor.
This session continues to be marked by hyper-partisan issues, high levels of tension, and lengthy committee speeches and testimony. This week was no exception, with debates on the floor surrounding healthcare, immigration, and the renaming of the Loop 202 after Charlie Kirk.
The week’s committee activity was marked by several high-profile and contentious bills related to immigration enforcement, healthcare, and ESAs. These bills led to long committee discussions, heated public comments, and even a protest breaking out in the Senate Judiciary committee over a bill that would make it illegal to notify people regarding ICE activity.
At the same time, formal budget negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor have yet to meaningfully begin. As partisan divisions continue to deepen, the pace of the legislative process is expected to slow, making it increasingly unlikely that the Legislature will meet its 100-day target and adjourn sine die by late April.
Additionally, this week the legislature saw its first resignation of the session. Representative Joseph Chaplik from LD3 (Scottsdale) announced in a speech on the House floor “I cannot fully commit to the Legislature’s demands and campaign for Congress at the same time, so to best serve my constituents and all my supporters, I will plan to resign from the chamber next week sometime.” He is running for Congressman David Schweikert’s highly sought after congressional seat in CD1. Congressman Schweikert is currently running for Governor in a primary against Congressman Andy Biggs (CD5).
Governor Hobbs Unveils Ethics Reform Package
On February 17, 2026, Governor Hobbs announced what her office describes as the “largest ethics reform package in modern Arizona history.” The proposal is built on three primary pillars intended to increase public oversight and reduce the influence of special interests:
- Public Transparency and Disclosure Database: The plan calls for a modernized state procurement portal. This would create a searchable database of state contractors, requiring any individual owning at least 5% of a company to be publicly disclosed.
- Independent and Fair Contracting Reforms: To address potential conflicts of interest, the proposal would prohibit state contractors from making campaign contributions exceeding $50 during the period between submitting a bid and the contract being awarded. Violators would face civil penalties and a potential three-year ban from state bidding.
- Comprehensive Lobbyist Gift Ban: The Governor is seeking to ban lobbyists from paying for food, beverages, travel, and lodging for state officials and employees.
Governor Hobbs characterized the initiative as a “common-sense” effort to ensure government works for the people rather than special interests, calling on the Republican-led Legislature to move past partisanship and pass the reforms.
Context of the “Pay-to-Play” Allegations
Critics have questioned the timing of these events and say that the rollout of this reform package comes as the administration responds to long-standing “pay-to-play” allegations.
In response to the “pay-to-play” allegations:
- Ongoing Investigations: Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and an independent out-of-state attorney hired by the Arizona House are currently investigating the matter.
- Administration Response: The Governor’s office has consistently denied any wrongdoing, describing the investigations as “partisan publicity stunts.”
- Legislative Actions: Senator T.J. Shope has introduced competing legislation for a second year now.
Shortly before the release of Hobbs’ proposal, the Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency committee advanced Senate President Pro-Tempore TJ Shope’s SB 1186 (document retention; proposals; donations) along party lines. This bill closely resembles a bill that Governor Hobbs vetoed in 2025, which had a provision buried in the text that removed an exemption that allows Arizona’s Medicaid Program to not follow state contracting law. SB1186, would require companies and their executives to disclose political contributions to the governor’s campaign or an agent of the Governor when they bid on state contracts. While both SB1186 and Governor Hobbs’ ethics proposal aim to increase transparency, there is significant disagreement on how to achieve this goal. Governor’s Hobbs does have accompanying legislation to match her proposal, this legislation however has not been introduced yet this session as it is without a bill sponsor, and we are long past the bill introduction deadlines.
Crossover Week: What is it and Why is it Important?
As the legislature barrels toward the 100-day mark, key deadlines to keep the session moving at a rapid pace. The next critical juncture is what we call “Crossover Week.”
This past week marked the last week for bills to be heard in committees in their chamber of origin to remain viable. The final day for these hearings is today, Friday, February 20th. During the final push to pass bills through committees, hearings often began early in the morning and ran well into the evening, with some committees even meeting today on Friday.
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have an additional committee during crossover week to ensure all fiscal legislation receives a hearing. The Rules Committees also typically will meet more than once during crossover week to ensure that all bills can move through Rules and Caucus and proceed to the floor so they can have their chance to be heard in the next chamber amid tightening deadlines.
Next week, we anticipate lengthy floor agendas as lawmakers race against procedural deadlines to ensure their legislation successfully “crosses over” to the opposite chamber. Once a bill is third read and receives a majority vote, it passes its chamber of origin and is transmitted to the opposite chamber to begin the process anew. There, it must again be assigned to committee and heard by the March 27 deadline in order to continue advancing.
This period also marks the beginning of “striker season.” A “strike everything” amendment (or “striker”) is a procedural maneuver unique to Arizona that replaces the entire original text of a bill with new content. This is a common tactic used to revive dead legislation or bypass earlier hurdles. Consequently, our advocacy team will remain vigilant during this time to ensure that favorable bills keep moving forward, and unfavorable ones are not revived in last-ditched efforts.
By the Numbers:
Days of Session: 40
Bills Introduced: 1966
Memorials and Resolutions Introduced: 153
Bills Passed: 4
Bills Signed: 2
Bills Vetoed: 2
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