SB 1618 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

military affairs commission

SB 1618 establishes Arizona's Military Affairs Commission to coordinate state efforts supporting military installations and personnel. The commission, with members appointed by the governor (including military experts, local officials, and private property representatives), advises the governor and legislature on military facility operations, military installation fund allocations, and strategies to attract new military missions. It must annually report to state leaders on military economic impacts, assess installations, and recommend actions to prevent base closures or support communities affected by base realignments. The commission also studies military quality-of-life issues for service members and families. This bill creates a permanent state body focused on strengthening Arizona's military partnerships and economic ties to defense industries.

Bill status failed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Failed

Jun 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Last action Jun 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Engrossed Version (06/12/2026) → Senate Engrossed Version (02/26/2026) · 3 edits · Feb 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill was corrected to clarify that the new section applies specifically to the 'military affairs commission' rather than just 'military affairs.' The text was also cleaned up to remove inconsistent capitalization and formatting errors, ensuring the legal language is consistent and readable.

DEFINITION

The descriptive text for the new section was changed from 'relating to military affairs' to 'relating to the military affairs commission' to ensure precise legal scope.

TECHNICAL

Inconsistent capitalization was corrected throughout the document, such as changing 'national DEFENSE' to 'national DEFENSE' and 'PRESIDENT' to 'PRESIDENT' for uniformity.

Minor grammatical and phrasing adjustments were made to improve clarity, such as changing 'preservation preserving' to 'preservation preserving' (no change in meaning, just formatting) and fixing sentence flow in the fund administration section.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version (06/12/2026) · 10 edits · Feb 26, 2026

MAJOR

This bill significantly expands the powers and duties of Arizona's Military Affairs Commission, transforming it from a body that primarily meets annually into an active agency responsible for managing funds, reviewing land acquisition proposals, and proactively recommending actions to retain military missions and attract defense businesses. The changes also include new findings supporting Arizona's defense-related cooperation with Taiwan.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general advisory duties to include specific financial management responsibilities, mandatory reporting on defense industry impacts, and proactive strategies to prevent military base closures.

REQUIREMENT

Meeting frequency changed from at least annually to twice each year.

Added a requirement to submit an annual report on September 1 of even-numbered years detailing economic impacts and strategies for attracting military missions.

Added a new nonvoting advisory member category representing state or federal agencies required for commission matters.

Added a new duty to proactively recommend actions to retain existing and attract new defense-related businesses.

Added a new duty to study issues relating to veterans, active duty members, military families, and quality of life issues.

Added a new duty to recommend projects for the Arizona Finance Authority and Industrial Development Authority that enhance military value or assist communities affected by base closures.

FISCAL

Added new duties to develop criteria for awarding monies from the Military Installation Fund and to review applications for those funds.

Established a new 'Military Affairs Commission Fund' to support the commission's activities through legislative appropriations and donations.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the eligibility threshold for military veterans on the commission from three years to five years preceding the effective date.

SCOPE

Added legislative findings explicitly supporting expanded educational and workforce programs between Arizona and Taiwan in defense-related sectors.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 26, 2026 · House Jun 12, 2026

How they voted

26–2

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 30

Feb 26, 2026

D Democratic13

11 Yea 1 Nay 1

84% Yea

R Republican17

15 Yea 1 Nay 1

88% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

Jun 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

Feb 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors