The top bills that we are watching are listed below! This page will be updated regularly.
Want more information about what we're seeing at the legislature? Join one of our weekly members-only legislative update calls, held every other Wednesday at 7 pm.
As always, we encourage you to sign into the Request to Speak system to register your support for or opposition to specific bills!
Attacks on Educators, Students and Schools
| BILL | WHAT IT DOES | POSITION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB2291 | Will make it harder to recruit and retain qualified superintendents. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2523 | Wastes' students and educators time by imposing a legal requirement to recite the Pledge of Alliegiance each day. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2533 | Wastes' educators time by forcing them to publicly post all lessons plans and materials, even though educators already happily share these materials with parents and guardians. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2538 | Incentivizes schools to move away from the hands-on, in-person instruction that's needed to support students' learning and development. | OPPOSE | Passed committee in chamber of origin |
| HB2539 | Forces the state to waste taxpayer dollars on a marketing campaign about charter schools. | OPPOSE | Passed committee in chamber of origin |
| HB2786 | Adds to the administrative burden of school districts by requiring new notification procedures for teacher training. Invites people with a political agenda to pursue that agenda through our public schools. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2800 | Poorly drafted, performative proposal that will result in budget cuts and/or layoffs and leave out huge numbers of educators. | OPPOSE | Passed committee in chamber of origin |
| SB1001 | Forces educators to use the wrong pronouns when addressing trans youth. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1026 | Prohibits public money from being used for "drag shows". Would ban many plays and performances at schools, from Shakespeare to contemporary works. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1040 | Allows people to sue a school for allowing trans kids to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1331 | Blocks school boards from limiting guns on campus. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SCR1024 | Blanket ban on programs designed to address racial inequalities in state employment and contracting. | OPPOSE | Passed committee in chamber of origin |
| SCR1025 | Would have a chilling effect on schools and educators, possibly discouraging efforts to address possible child neglect or abuse. Could also create more legal grounds for parents to sue first responders or others for responding in an emergency. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1044 | Would block teachers from providing in-person support and encouragement to students who are absent, who may be missing school due to problems at home, lack of transportation, etc. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1305 | Allows people to file official complaints leading to disciplinary action (including $5000 fine!) if educators teach about race in ways they disagree with. Part of a broader set of attacks on the freedom to learn and teach the truth about American history and current events. | OPPOSE | Passed both chambers, ready for Governor |
| HB2332 | Imposes a mandate for schools to offer firearms training without providing sufficient resources or support. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1564 | Further subsidizes private schools by forcing public schools to allow private and home-schooled students to participate in sports programs. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1696 | Book ban that will force educators to get parental permission to teach classic works of literature and art. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
Attacks on School Funding
| BILL | WHAT IT DOES | POSITION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB2003 | Corporate tax cut that will reduce revenue available for public schools. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2504 | Significant expansion of the Student Tuition Organization voucher program. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1243 | Significant expansion of the Student Tuition Organization voucher program. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SB1577 | Yet another major tax cut that will reduce funding for public schools. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| SCR1035 | Yet another major tax cut that will reduce funding for public schools. | OPPOSE | Passed chamber of origin |
| HB2014 | Significant expansion of the Student Tuition Organization voucher program. | OPPOSE | Passed committee in chamber of origin |
Understanding the "Bill Status" Column
In general, bills must pass through 5 stages before they become law:
1. Passed by a committee in the "chamber of origin." Committees are focused on specific topics (Education, Government, etc). If a bill is introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives, the chamber of origin is the House; if the bill is introduced in the Senate, the chamber of origin is the Senate. (If a bill starts with HB, it is a House bill. If it starts with SB, it is a Senate bill.)
2. Passed by the chamber of origin. (So for a House bill, beginning with HB, that would mean the full House voting on the bill, and it passing.)
3. Passed by committee in the opposite chamber. (So for a House bill, beginning with HB, that would mean a Senate committee hearing and passing the bill.)
4. Approval by the opposite chamber. (So for a House bill, beginning with HB, that would mean the full Senate voting on the bill, and it passing.)
5. Signed by the governor.
