Rep. Sarah Liguori

Maddy summaryHB 2593 requires Arizona school districts to offer preschool educational programs for children with specific disabilities (including hearing, visual, developmental delays, or speech impairments) who reside within the district. Charter schools may choose to provide these programs. The bill mandates that districts evaluate children before admission and specifies that these preschoolers count as half a full-time student for funding purposes. It also directs the state board to distribute 10% of federal funds for preschool disability programs to school districts and charters that choose to participate. This bill directly affects preschool children with disabilities and school districts managing their educational services.

Maddy summaryHB 2652 prohibits employment and educational discrimination based on "protective hairstyles" like braids, locks, or twists. It makes it unlawful for Arizona employers, labor organizations, and schools (including private nurseries, K-12, and colleges) to discriminate against individuals due to their hairstyle, race, or ethnicity. The bill defines "protective hairstyle" broadly and explicitly links it to race, stating that traits historically associated with race - including hair texture and protective hairstyles - are protected. This law directly affects employers and educational institutions across Arizona by requiring them to remove hairstyle-based barriers in hiring, training, and school policies.

Maddy summaryHB 2504 amends Arizona statutes to standardize terminology and restrict immigration-related activities. It changes "legal resident alien" to "legal resident alien immigrant" in liquor licensing (Section 1), prohibits adoption of undocumented immigrants under age 21 (Section 2), and bans cities/counties from building work centers facilitating employment of undocumented immigrants (Sections 3-4). The bill also mandates state agencies to enforce federal immigration laws "to the full extent permitted" (Section 5). These changes directly affect liquor license applicants, adoption petitioners, and local governments constructing work centers.

Maddy summaryHB 2292 requires Arizona health insurers (including hospital service corporations, health care services organizations, and disability insurers) to cover specific cancer-related genetic services starting January 1, 2026. It mandates coverage for genetic counseling, testing, and risk assessment for individuals with a personal or family history of cancer or inherited genetic mutations, based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. This includes testing for genes linked to breast, ovarian, prostate, and Lynch syndrome cancers, with no deductibles or cost-sharing required. The bill directly affects Arizona residents with health or disability insurance who qualify for these services due to their cancer risk profile.

Maddy summaryHB 2285 prohibits Arizona state agencies and local governments from requiring public works contractors to sign neutrality agreements, project labor agreements, or contribute to apprenticeship programs as a condition of winning or performing public construction, repair, or improvement contracts. It directly affects contractors working on public projects (like roads or buildings) and state/local entities that issue these contracts. The bill amends Arizona law to remove these requirements from public works contracts and environmental review processes, while clarifying that private collective bargaining remains permitted. This changes the standard for public contract terms by banning specific labor-related conditions imposed by public entities.

Maddy summaryHB 2494 establishes an advisory task force to study employee misclassification and payroll tax fraud specifically in Arizona's construction industry. The task force, composed of agency directors (industrial commission, insurance, contractor registrar) and advisory members, will examine issues like revenue losses, enforcement effectiveness, and public awareness. It must submit annual reports to legislative committees by February 1, starting in 2027, detailing findings on misclassification frequency, economic impacts, and potential policy improvements. The bill does not change existing laws but creates a process to evaluate whether new regulations or enforcement strategies are needed.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $25 million from Arizona's state general fund for the Housing Trust Fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to support affordable housing. It directly affects landlords who receive payments from this fund for rent owed by tenants, prohibiting them from filing, finalizing, or enforcing legal actions against those tenants for the unpaid rent. The key provision ensures that when the state fund covers rent payments to landlords, tenants cannot face eviction or legal penalties for that specific debt. This creates a direct financial protection for tenants with rent arrears who qualify for assistance through the Housing Trust Fund.

Maddy summaryHB 2361 requires Arizona employers at large warehouse distribution centers (with 100+ employees at one site or 500+ across sites) to provide warehouse employees with written, plain-language descriptions of all performance quotas within 30 days of hire. The bill bans quotas that measure time intervals shorter than one day, rank employees against each other, or prevent compliance with meal/bathroom breaks, and mandates that employers include rest/bathroom time in productivity calculations. Employers must also maintain records of work speed data and quota descriptions for three years and disclose the specific quota and data used if taking adverse action for missing a quota. This directly affects warehouse employees in Arizona’s distribution centers who work under performance targets.

Maddy summaryHB 2466 clarifies that candidate committees in Arizona may legally use campaign funds to cover direct caregiving expenses for a candidate’s child or other dependent they personally care for, such as childcare costs. This specifically affects candidates with caregiving responsibilities who use committee funds for these essential needs. The bill amends Arizona’s campaign finance law (ARS § 16-921) to explicitly list caregiver expenses as an exempt expenditure, aligning with existing rules. The legislature states this is a clarifying change, not a substantive policy shift. It does not expand exemptions beyond this specific provision.

Maddy summaryHB 2363 allows Arizona counties to establish voting centers - locations where any voter in the county can cast a ballot on election day after presenting ID - instead of traditional precinct-specific polling places. County boards of supervisors must approve voting centers through a specific resolution, including findings that justify the change, and must coordinate with county recorders. The bill requires counties to maintain a public list of all voting locations and sets rules for emergency voting centers during elections. It directly affects county election administrators and voters by changing how polling places are designated, while maintaining voter ID requirements. The law applies to general, primary, and special elections starting from the 2026 election cycle.