2026 Arizona Legislative Session Recap
- Rural Arizona Action
- 15 hours ago
- 7 min read
The Arizona Legislature began its 2026 session on January 12, marking its 57th session. The session adjourned on June 13 after 152 days.
Lawmakers considered a record number of bills this year, with the House of Representatives reaching the 4,000 mark, which was a first in Arizona History. The biggest issues included immigration, water, environmental protection, democracy and education.
Throughout the session, Rural Arizona Action worked alongside community members and partners to support policies that strengthen and protect rural communities, and oppose proposals that would make life difficult for working families.
Though not everything we fought for ended in victory, collective community action helped stop several harmful bills and secure important investments for rural Arizonans.
Session Stats
Bills Introduced: 2,030
Bills Transmitted to Governor: 365
Bills Signed by Governor: 214
Bills Vetoed by Governor: 151
Memorials and Resolutions Introduced: 160
Memorials and Resolutions Transmitted to Secretary of State: 41
The Wins
Working alongside community members, coalition partners and lawmakers, we helped stop a number of harmful proposals and secured investments in critical infrastructure.
Protecting the Public’s Voice:
One of the biggest wins from his session was defeating HB 2873, a bill that threatened the integrity of Arizona’s citizen initiative and referendum process.
This bill was written in response to a successful citizen-led petition effort in Marana that gathered enough signatures to submit a proposed data center development to voters for approval. HB 2873 would have created a pathway for petition circulators to withdraw signatures after they had already been submitted, potentially allowing powerful interests to interfere with citizen-led campaigns after the fact.
Rural Arizona Action opposed the bill because we refuse to let data center lobbyists to silence our communities!
Throughout the legislative process, we collected 464 of signatures from those against this bill, brought constituents to the Capitol to speak with legislators, and made countless calls and emails to the Governor to oppose HB2873. In the end, Governor Hobbs vetoed HB 2873, preserving Arizonans' ability to make their voices heard through citizen-led initiatives.
Defending Voting Access:
We also helped defeat proposals that would have made voting less accessible.
HCR 2016 would have eliminated vote centers. Vote centers allow voters to cast their ballot at any voting location within their county, making voting more convenient for many rural residents who often travel long distances in their daily lives.
Community members, including rural and Tribal leaders, opposed the measure by sharing their experiences about the importance of vote centers. Dr. Paul Guy Jr. testified about precinct voting issues on the Navajo Nation and emphasized the need for vote centers. Additionally, Apache County adopted this model, demonstrating how it improves voter access in rural areas.
Ultimately, HCR 2016 died in the Senate without a vote.
Additionally, we helped stop SB 1570 by bringing rural community members to the committee hearings. SB 1570 would have allowed ICE at the polls, but ultimately failed.
Supporting our Immigrant Communities:
Several immigration-related bills that would have expanded enforcement efforts or limited community education failed this session.
SB 1635 would have criminalized public alerts about immigration enforcement activity and was written broadly enough that Know Your Rights trainings could have been banned. This bill ultimately (and unexpectedly) failed. Rural Arizona Action worked with Senator Catherine Miranda to introduce an amendment to this bill that would have required ICE to identify themselves and prohibit agents from wearing masks while on duty. Though this was not adopted, we forced a discussion of the issue.
Another proposal, SB 1055, would have required local law enforcement agencies to immediately notify federal immigration authorities when an undocumented person was arrested. This would have diverted resources away from local law enforcement and increased the role of local police in federal immigration enforcement. Governor Hobbs vetoed this bill.
Safeguarding Rural Water Resources:
Water remains one of the most important issues facing Arizona, especially in rural communities.
This session, lawmakers considered HB 2758, a proposal that would have allowed private investment groups to transport groundwater from the McMullen Valley in La Paz County and sell it to the suburbs of Phoenix for profit.
Through our organizing efforts, social media outreach and phone calls, we successfully stopped this bill. With the support of rural residents, local leaders, and advocacy organizations, we raised concerns that the bill would place additional pressure on already limited water supplies and prioritize outside interests over local communities.
Transparency and Accountability
Another proposal we opposed was HB 2862. The bill initially would have prohibited people from wearing masks at gatherings while exempting federal immigration officers.
Advocates worked with lawmakers to introduce an amendment that would have applied the same standards to federal immigration agents. While the amendment was not adopted, it helped highlight concerns regarding transparency and accountability.
HB 2862 did not become law.
Rural Arizona Action also opposed HB 2167 and HB 2168, which would have limited the Attorney General’s ability to use public nuisance laws to address harmful activities affecting Arizona communities. Both bills were vetoed.
Additional bills that Rural Arizona Action opposed that also failed to become law:
SB 1213: Would have required courts to notify federal immigration authorities when an undocumented person was in custody or released.
HB 2806: Would mandate ADOT and the County Recorders to use a new Homeland Security System to verify U.S. citizenship before issuing driver’s licenses or registering voters. When we testified against this bill, the chair shut us down because we mentioned the murders ICE had committed in the recent weeks.
HB 2589: Would have made it a felony for minors to attend drag performances.
HB 2136: Would have expanded Arizona’s terrorism laws, potentially allowing certain protest-related offenses to be prosecuted as acts of terrorism.
HB2108: Would have increased penalties for fleeing law enforcement. The bill was introduced following the shooting of Renee Good and did not advance before the legislative crossover deadline. During our testimony the chair shut us down just for mentioning the name Renee Good. This bill never even made it out of its chamber of origin before crossover.
Budget Victories
Although the final state budget did not include every investment we had hoped for, there were still meaningful wins for rural Arizona.
The biggest victory was getting a three-year moratorium on new tax exemptions for data centers! This pause gives policymakers time to better understand the long-term impacts of data center development on local communities, water resources and public revenues.
The budget also included funding for several important priorities:
$4.3 million for rural hospitals
$4 million for free school meals
$10 million for DFFM Wildfire suppression funding (wildfire suppression support)
$6 million for the Colorado River Litigation fund
$3 million for out-of-school childcare programs
Losses
While we secured important victories this session, there were also setbacks.
One of our priorities was preventing any additional funding for immigration enforcement activities, but funding for those efforts remained in the budget.
On voting rights, many of the bills introduced this year would have restricted voting access rather than expanded it. One proposal we supported, the Voters First Act, would have expanded access to vote centers, restored the Permanent Early Voting List and ensure that early voting ballots dropped off in the wrong county to be counted. Unfortunately, the bill was never given a committee hearing.
Housing affordability also remained a major challenge. While some progress was made, including increasing support for the Mobile Home Relocation Fund, lawmakers did not advance broader solutions that would significantly lower housing costs for working families.
Similarly, childcare was another mixed outcome. Advocates estimate Arizona needs approximately $150 million in childcare investments, but the final budget allocated only about $55 million. This includes $1.5 million to build a modern quality child-care facility in the town of Taylor in Navajo County, a victory for rural Arizona.
Ballot Measures to Watch
This session, lawmakers referred seven measures directly to Arizona voters. Here’s what those measures are:
HCR2001: If passed, would require voters to present government-issued identification when voting, including for mail ballots. This could add more privacy risks that will deter people from even voting.
HCR2003: If passed, would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports and using girls’ school facilities. This measure is being labeled as the Protecting Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act.
HCR2040: If passed, would prohibit school districts from using public resources to support labor organizations during school hours. This measure is written very broadly that other union groups such as police and fire unions could be affected.
HCR2044: If passed, would prohibit state government agencies from using diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in employment-related matters. This has the potential to undermine any efforts to reach out to underserved communities and could potentially cause more harassment and doubts on government employees from an underrepresented community.
HCR2048: If passed, would protect scholarship funds for students from military families and limit future changes to Arizona’s ESA program.
SCR1004: If passed, would prohibit the use of photo enforcement systems statewide.
SCR1032: If passed, would require school districts to spend at least 60% of their operating budgets on direct classroom instruction. A concern with this one is that this ignores some issues that rural areas face such as non-instructional costs for things like transportation and maintenance.
In addition, three referrals approved during the previous 2025 legislative session will appear on future ballots, bringing the total number of legislative referrals voters may consider to ten:
HCR2055: If passed, would classify drug cartels as terrorist organizations under Arizona law. This measure has very broad language in it that nonprofits that do border work could also be at target.
HCR2021: If passed, would prohibit cities, towns and other local governments from collecting taxes on groceries. Much of this tax is what funds many city services such as parks, police and fire services.
SCR1004 (2025): If passed, would prohibit state and local governments from imposing a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. An issue with this is that with the increasing demand in electric vehicles the fuel tax is making less returns to the Highway User Fund which means cities need to find other ways to collect revenue.
As these measures move closer to Election Day, Rural Arizona Action will continue educating communities about how they could impact rural Arizona and encouraging voters to stay informed.
Looking Ahead
With the legislative session now over, attention will now be shifting toward the 2026 elections, as lawmakers will be focused on their campaigns.
Looking ahead to 2027, much will depend on the outcome of the elections and which party controls the Governor’s Office and the Legislature. Changes in leadership could significantly affect which policies move forward and which issues receive attention at the Capitol.
Regardless of election outcomes, Arizona will continue facing major challenges that require action. Housing affordability, water security, healthcare access, childcare and protecting democracy remain urgent priorities for communities across the state.
While not every priority of ours advanced this year, the collective community action played a critical role in shaping the wins of this session.
Together, we helped stop harmful legislation, protect voting access, defend rural water resources and secure investments for rural Arizona.
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Check out what we were to during the 2026 Legislative Session! 👇
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