school safety; identification system; appropriation
SB 1798 establishes a two-year pilot program for Arizona school districts with 80-85 schools (covering kindergarten through 12th grade) to install camera-based safety systems that detect registered sex offenders, individuals with criminal records, or "individuals of concern" designated by schools or law enforcement. The system must issue alerts within 60 seconds after analyst review, while strictly prohibiting the storage of video, audio, biometric data, or live monitoring to comply with privacy laws. The bill appropriates $2 million from the state general fund for this program, which expires December 31, 2027, and requires a report on implementation to state leaders. It directly affects participating school districts by mandating specific safety technology with built-in privacy safeguards.
Bill status
passed both
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Jun 2026
Governor
Introduced Feb 9, 2026
Last action Jun 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
House Engrossed Version (06/11/2026)
→
Senate Engrossed Version (03/19/2026)
·
4 edits
·
Mar 19, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was converted from a House version to a Senate version, changing the title from 'Senate Bill' to 'Senate Engrossed' and updating the bill identifier. The primary substantive change involves a minor formatting correction in the description of the financial aid awareness program, where a stray character was removed. The core policy content regarding the program's establishment, eligibility requirements, and administrative duties remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL
Removed a stray non-breaking space character before 'FAFSA' in the bill's subject description.
Changed the bill header from 'House Engrossed' to 'Senate Engrossed' and updated the version identifier from 'H Ver' to 'S Ver'.
Adjusted the description of the statute amendment to remove the redundant reference to 'section 15-142' before listing the specific amendments.
Removed a stray character before the description of the financial aid awareness program's purpose.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 19, 2026 · House Jun 11, 2026
How they voted
22–5
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 30
Mar 19, 2026
D
Democratic13
76% Yea
R
Republican17
70% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
13
Key actions
6
Committee
1
Amendments
3
Jun 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
May 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
DPA
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
DPA/SE
upper
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Kiana Sears
DDemocratic
Co
Brian Fernandez
DDemocratic
Co
David Gowan
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 1798
Scope: AZ
Hi! I can help you understand SB 1798. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline