SB 1493: disciplinary action; appeal; superior court - Arizona

Senate Engrossed Version (02/26/2026) → Chaptered Version · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Arizona statutes regarding law enforcement terminations and payroll deductions. It significantly expands the rights of law enforcement officers facing disciplinary action by mandating specific disclosure of evidence, allowing for changes of hearing officers to ensure impartiality, and establishing a clear burden of proof on the employer. It also clarifies the process for reinstatement and retroactive pay if a termination is found unjustified.

Scope change

The bill's scope is narrowed to specifically address law enforcement officers in disciplinary appeals, while simultaneously expanding the scope of allowable payroll deductions for all state employees to include new benefits like identity theft protection and computer systems.

REQUIREMENT

Employers must now disclose witness names, contact info, and relevant documents to the officer within 14 days of an appeal request.

Officers or employers can request a change of hearing officer within 10 days of appointment if there is a conflict of interest.

Hearings regarding law enforcement disciplinary actions must be open to the public.

Hearing officers must explicitly state in their findings whether 'just cause' existed for the disciplinary action.

Administrative agencies must now track personnel hours spent on dues deductions and may charge fees to associations for system maintenance.

ENFORCEMENT

The burden of proof in disciplinary appeals now rests with the employer, not the officer.

FISCAL

If a termination is ruled unjustified in both administrative and court appeals, the employer must pay all attorney fees and expert fees incurred by the officer.

ELIGIBILITY

Payroll deduction eligibility was expanded to include identity theft protection services and personal computer systems.

House Engrossed Version (04/27/2026) → Senate Engrossed Version (02/26/2026) · 5 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from the House version to the Senate version, indicating it has passed the House and is now in its final Senate form. Substantive changes include clarifying formatting for charitable organization names and probation periods, adding a period after a social security number provision, and significantly expanding attorney fee protections for law enforcement officers by removing the $15,000 cap in court cases and ensuring fees are paid regardless of the final court outcome.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding attorney fee protections for law enforcement officers was expanded to remove monetary caps and guarantee fee awards regardless of the final court decision, while other sections remained largely unchanged except for minor formatting and punctuation adjustments.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header from 'House Engrossed' to 'Senate Engrossed' and changed the version identifier from H Ver to S Ver.

Added a space before the quote character in the definition of 'Charitable organization name' and added a period after the probation clause regarding recognized associations.

Added a period after the provision regarding the use of social security identification numbers on payroll deduction forms.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed the $15,000 cap on attorney fees awarded to law enforcement officers in court proceedings and clarified that fees must be paid regardless of the outcome of the superior court action.

Revised the conditions for attorney fee awards to ensure they apply even if the officer does not win the subsequent appeal in superior court.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version (04/27/2026) · 6 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Arizona's laws regarding payroll deductions for state employees and establishes new protections for law enforcement officers facing disciplinary action. It expands the ability of the Department of Administration to charge fees for managing union dues and adds strict rules for disclosing evidence during officer appeals. Crucially, it creates a new right for officers to appeal terminations in superior court with potential cost awards and mandates that hearings be open to the public.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from general payroll administration to specifically include law enforcement terminations and appeals, while retaining the original payroll deduction framework.

REQUIREMENT

Added new requirements for the Department of Administration to track personnel hours for dues deductions and charge fees to associations for system maintenance.

Mandated that all disciplinary hearings for law enforcement officers be open to the public, with limited exceptions for legal advice or deliberations.

Established strict timelines and cooperation rules for exchanging evidence and witness lists between employers and officers during appeals.

ENFORCEMENT

Created a new right for law enforcement officers to appeal suspensions or dismissals in superior court, with the possibility of being reinstated and awarded attorney fees.

Shifted the burden of proof to the employer in disciplinary appeals and allowed employers to amend decisions only if they were arbitrary.

FISCAL

Authorized the reimbursement of reasonable costs and attorney fees (up to $15,000) to officers who win appeals against unjust terminations.

disciplinary action; appeal; superior court

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