HB 2521 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

elections; foreign money

This bill prohibits Arizona government entities and election vendors from using money or services from foreign governments or non-citizens for election administration. It also bans foreign entities from funding efforts to influence ballot measure outcomes. Vendors must provide annual written statements confirming they don’t receive foreign funds, with penalties for false statements (up to three times the contract value). The law explicitly excludes federally recognized tribal nations from the definition of "foreign government."

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 27, 2025 Last action Mar 11, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version · 4 edits · Mar 3, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reformatted and reorganized from an introduced version to a house engrossed version, with substantive additions of two new sections (16-407.05 and 16-407.04) that establish enforcement mechanisms and civil penalties for violations of the foreign donation restrictions. The core policy prohibiting foreign government and foreign nongovernmental source donations for election administration remains unchanged, but the engrossed version now includes explicit enforcement provisions allowing qualified electors to sue for damages and equitable relief.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on prohibiting foreign government and foreign nongovernmental source donations for election administration, with no change to the entities or activities covered.

ENFORCEMENT

Added new section 16-407.05 allowing qualified electors to bring civil actions for damages and equitable relief against violations of the foreign donation prohibition.

Added specific remedies including injunctive relief, daily damages of $1,000 adjusted for inflation, and attorney fees for successful plaintiffs.

TECHNICAL

Added section 16-407.05 enforcement provisions and reorganized the bill structure with proper engrossed formatting.

Changed the bill header from introduced version to house engrossed version with updated reference title and formatting.

Floor votes · House Mar 3, 2025

How they voted

33–25

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 60

Mar 3, 2025

D Democratic27

1 Yea 25 Nay 1

92% Nay

R Republican33

32 Yea 1

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

1 primary · 32 co-sponsors