HCR 2038 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

Colorado River; seven-state agreement

HCR 2038 is a non-binding legislative resolution supporting Arizona's position in ongoing negotiations for a seven-state agreement governing the Colorado River. It states Arizona's support for a mutual agreement that protects the state's vital industries (agriculture, technology, and military) reliant on Colorado River water, while acknowledging Arizona's significant water conservation efforts (including $211 million invested to save up to 6.6 million acre-feet). The resolution emphasizes Arizona's historical water use reductions (8.9 million acre-feet) and economic contributions (75% of basin jobs and crop sales in the Lower Basin) as context for negotiations. It does not create new policy but formally endorses collaborative solutions to address the river's structural deficit and uphold the 1922 Compact.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version House Engrossed Version (02/26/2026) · 5 edits · Feb 26, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was updated from an introduced version to a House engrossed version, refining the language to emphasize shared risk and specific conservation timelines while expanding the list of Arizona sectors relying on the river. The changes clarify that the Lower Basin states have already achieved specific water savings since 2007 and update the resolution's focus to protect major population centers alongside traditional industries.
Scope change
The scope of the resolution's justification was broadened to explicitly include tribal communities and major population centers as key users of the river, and the timeline for conservation efforts was specified as occurring between 2023 and 2026.
REQUIREMENT

The requirement for a mutual agreement was modified to explicitly state that Basin States must share the risk of reductions.

The description of Lower Basin conservation efforts was updated to specify that the 8.9 million acre-feet of savings occurred since 2007.

TIMELINE

The timeline for Lower Basin conservation efforts was updated to specify that up to 3.7 million acre-feet will be generated between 2023 and 2026.

SCOPE

Tribal communities and major population centers were added to the list of Arizona sectors relying heavily on Colorado River water.

The text was updated to capitalize 'Basin States' and 'Lower Basin States' consistently throughout the document.

Floor votes · House Feb 26, 2026

How they voted

540
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 60
Feb 26, 2026
D Democratic27
23 Yea 4
85% Yea
R Republican33
31 Yea 2
93% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
4
Committee
1
Amendments
1
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors