SB 1697 prohibits Arizona public schools from shaming or treating students differently due to unpaid meal fees, ensuring all students receive the same meals regardless of payment status. It specifically bans school staff from serving different meals (except for dietary/religious needs) or taking disciplinary action that denies students nutritious meals meeting state nutrition standards. The law directly affects students with unpaid meal fees and requires schools to maintain equal treatment and meal access during the instructional day. This policy change focuses on preventing stigma and ensuring consistent access to required meals, without altering meal eligibility or financial assistance processes.
SB 1430, the "Tax Corrections Act of 2026," amends Arizona's retail tax code to clarify and correct exemptions from the sales tax. It adds 25 specific exemptions, including sales of medical equipment (like prosthetics, hearing aids, and durable medical devices), prescription drugs, food, textbooks, and nonprofit sales. This directly affects businesses selling these items by ensuring they are exempt from the tax, resolving prior ambiguities in the code. The bill is a technical correction to the tax code, not a change in tax rates or policy.
This constitutional amendment (HCR 2046) would change Arizona's rules for managing state trust lands, which fund public schools and other beneficiaries. It allows the state to mortgage or encumber trust lands (e.g., for infrastructure projects) but requires most sales or leases to occur via public auction with specific advertising rules, while exempting short-term grazing, mineral, and oil/gas leases. The commissioner must act in the "financial best interest" of beneficiaries, considering long-term returns - not just the highest bid - and may improve land value before selling to boost future income.
SCR 1026 is a proposed constitutional amendment (not a regular bill) that would change Arizona's budget process. It would automatically continue the previous year's general funding bill into a new fiscal year if no new budget is enacted, with adjustments for inflation, enrollment growth, and required debt payments for specific agencies like education and health care. However, this continuation would not apply if the total funding would exceed projected state revenue for the new year. This amendment requires voter approval to take effect.
This bill updates Arizona's child care assistance program rules to expand eligibility and clarify income thresholds. It directly affects low-income families transitioning from cash aid, foster care children, families facing crises (like domestic violence or homelessness), and parents pursuing education or job training. Key changes include setting income limits (assistance ends if income exceeds 165% of the federal poverty level or 85% of state median income), prioritizing families at or below 100% of the federal poverty level, and allowing child care support while parents complete education programs related to employment. The department manages funding through waiting lists and priority categories based on income levels.
HB 2611 amends Arizona law to define specific rights for children in foster care or kinship foster care placements. The bill lists 27 concrete rights, including access to education, medical care, privacy, safety, and participation in care planning meetings, with additional transition-focused rights for youth aged 14+ (e.g., career planning, help obtaining IDs). It requires child welfare agencies to provide written information about these rights to children upon placement and to post them in foster homes. The law also establishes complaint channels for children to report rights violations to the department or ombudsman. This directly affects all children in Arizona foster or kinship care placements.
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HB 2426 requires Arizona's State Land Commissioner to create and update a five-year plan for managing state trust lands (lands held in trust for public benefit, like education funding) within two years. It mandates written policies for updating the plan every five years and using it to decide when to sell land via public auction. The bill responds to years of non-compliance, as the State Land Department failed to produce required plans since 2016 and the oversight committee remained vacant. This requirement expires on June 30, 2029.
HB 2855 creates Arizona's "Public Service Home Buyer Assistance Program" to provide low-interest mortgage loans with zero down payment and closing cost assistance specifically for eligible public service workers. It directly affects law enforcement officers, firefighters, and certified teachers (including those in public, charter, private schools, and state schools for the deaf/blind) who have been continuously employed for five years. The program funds loans for purchasing primary residences (new or existing, including condos/co-ops) but requires applicants to own no other residential property at the time of the loan. Funds come from legislative appropriations and loan repayments, with the authority required to submit annual reports on program activity to the legislature.
SB 1422 extends the Credit Enhancement Eligibility Board, which helps Arizona public schools secure more favorable financing terms, until July 1, 2036. The bill sets a clear timeline for the board's termination and the eventual repeal of related statutes (Title 41, Chapter 56, Articles 10 and 11), requiring all program funding obligations and guaranteed financings to be settled by January 1, 2037, before repeal. If obligations remain unresolved, the statutes will be repealed 30 days after settlement. The bill applies retroactively to July 1, 2026, to maintain continuity in the program.
HB 2239 establishes Arizona's Child Care Grant Program and a dedicated Child Care Infrastructure Fund to address statewide child care shortages. The bill provides grants to eligible applicants - including child care facilities, providers, and those seeking to open licensed operations - for services like underserved community care, nonstandard-hour care, infant/toddler care, and care for children with disabilities. It funds specific infrastructure improvements such as facility expansions, property acquisitions, renovations, provider training, licensing support, and start-up costs through the newly created fund. The program aims to increase affordable, accessible child care capacity, particularly in rural and low-income areas, as highlighted in the legislature's findings on underfunded early childhood services.
