Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ5) has introduced legislation that would establish a federal pathway for patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases to access individualized investigational treatments when no approved treatment options remain.
According to a press release from Biggs’ office, the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act was introduced this week by Biggs and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), with companion legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
The legislation builds on the original federal Right to Try Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump and provides terminally ill patients access to certain investigational treatments that had not yet received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“One of my first efforts upon taking office in January 2017 was to partner with Senator Ron Johnson to champion Right to Try, which we passed through both the U.S. House and Senate,” Biggs said. “Many of us know people who are terminally ill and desperately seeking to extend their lives. Right to Try gives these individuals hope, freedom, and power to try potentially life-saving drug therapies.”
Biggs said supporters of the original legislation sought to provide patients with additional treatment options when facing terminal illnesses and that the new proposal would build upon that framework.
“Our coalition was unwilling to let one more American die without this chance, and we are motivated to build on this original bill with the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act,” Biggs said. “I am honored to again help lead this bill in the U.S. House, and I pray we can quickly send it to President Trump’s desk to be enacted into law.”
According to the bill sponsors, the legislation is intended to address advances in precision medicine and genomics that have enabled treatments tailored to individual patients. The lawmakers argue that existing regulatory pathways were designed for therapies intended for broader patient populations and do not adequately accommodate patient-specific treatments.
“We are entering a new era of medicine where breakthroughs in genomics and precision therapies can create treatments designed specifically for an individual patient, but our regulatory system was built for a different time and simply hasn’t kept up,” Harshbarger said. “This legislation makes sure patients have a clear, durable path to pursue individualized treatments when all other options have failed.”
Under the proposal, patients diagnosed with life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases could access investigational individualized therapies under physician supervision when no approved treatment options remain. Patients would need a physician’s recommendation before receiving treatment, which would be administered in qualified healthcare facilities that meet federal safety and quality standards and are subject to Institutional Review Board oversight and informed consent requirements.
Johnson said the measure would expand upon the original Right to Try framework by addressing therapies developed for individual patients and rare diseases.
“Right to Try 2.0 builds on that success and would provide access to individualized, rare disease and one-patient therapies that the current regulatory environment has yet to accommodate,” Johnson said. “This is about medical freedom and putting doctors and patients at the top of the treatment pyramid.”
The legislation would also establish a statutory framework for individualized treatments rather than relying solely on administrative guidance. According to Biggs’ office, the FDA released draft guidance in February outlining a framework to support the development of individualized therapies, but the sponsors argue congressional action is needed to create durable patient protections and access pathways.
The Goldwater Institute, which helped pioneer the original Right to Try movement that was enacted into federal law in 2018, also advocated for the introduction of the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act.
In a statement, Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said, “No American should be forced to beg the government for permission to try to save their own life, and no bureaucrat should prevent a patient from accessing cutting-edge therapies. The Right to Try for Individualized Treatments opens the door to the latest advances in medical treatment and brings the federal government into the 21st century.”
While medical technology has evolved at a breathtaking pace, regulatory systems remain stuck in an era of mass-produced drugs.
The Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act will ensure that our laws keep pace with modern innovation, removing the bureaucratic barriers that…
— Goldwater Institute (@GoldwaterInst) June 9, 2026
The proposal also has roots in Arizona. According to the release, Right to Try legislation received nearly 80 percent support in the Arizona Legislature in 2014 during Biggs’ tenure as a state lawmaker. The release states that Right to Try policies have since been adopted in 41 states, while “Right to Try 2.0” laws addressing individualized treatments have been enacted in 17 states, including Arizona.
Republican State Rep. Alex Kolodin (LD3) is one of two contenders vying to unseat incumbent Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Kolodin, a longtime election lawyer, has been in the Arizona legislature since 2023.
Kolodin has previously defeated Fontes under different circumstances.
In 2020, Kolodin won an Arizona Supreme Court case against Fontes which determined the latter, while Maricopa County Recorder, had wrongly told mail voters that crossing out votes wouldn’t spoil their ballots. That ruling allowed Arizonans to further challenge election officials on unlawful actions.
In 2024, Kolodin again defeated Fontes in court, securing a requirement for the latter to comply with duties under the National Voter Registration Act.
Earlier this year, Kolodin successfully passed an election integrity bill (HB 2022) to ensure Arizona’s election timeline aligned with federal requirements and protected military members overseas from disenfranchisement.
Kolodin also led on HCR 2001, the Arizona Secure Elections Act, which promises to strengthen voter ID requirements through an amendment to the Arizona Constitution. The measure passed the Arizona Legislature and is now headed to the statewide ballot. If approved by voters, the amendment would mandate voter ID, declare citizenship as a mandatory qualification for registering and voting in elections, ban foreign funding in elections, and limit ballot acceptance times to Election Day.
Facing off against Kolodin in the primary is former Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda.
Kolodin and Swoboda debated last month, with PBS moderating. Both said voters desire more reasons to trust their elections: competence, transparency, reliability, and experience.
Swoboda acknowledged that many voters believe elections have been rigged in recent years, but that the state has addressed issues with the administration, Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), and equipment through legislation and court challenges.
“The way I say it is, when people say, ‘Was it stolen?’, they were stolen fair and square,” said Swoboda.
Swoboda said issues with the EPM would always exist, but that the only issues that matter are those that affect the outcome of the election.
“We just won everything that was winnable in [20]24,” said Swoboda.
Kolodin disagreed with Swoboda’s view that the issues with the elections system, namely the EPM, have been resolved. He pointed to the Pima County GOP lawsuit against Fontes which alleges that Fontes’ EPM threatens voters’ free speech.
“The voters of Arizona are ready to move forward and have an elections system that we can be proud of,” said Kolodin.
Kolodin also questioned why Swoboda continues to defend the exclusion of political party observers in the EPM. Swoboda said she was merely backing what the law was at the time.
Swoboda criticized Kolodin for his 2023 admonishment by the State Bar of Arizona. Kolodin was punished for participating in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election.
Kolodin defended mail-in voting as the right of Arizona voters, and said that his efforts in the legislature have been to make that voting method more secure.
“Arizonans love our mail-in voting. Most Arizonans use mail-in voting, and nobody is coming to take that away,” said Kolodin.
Similarly, Swoboda said that Arizona has used mail-in voting for a while and does it well, and indicated that Arizona has further to go to secure the voting method against potential fraud.
The two contended whether the ballot referral under HCR2001 would “crush” mail-in voting. Kolodin claimed Swoboda was “misleading” voters on the referral, which he said was measures to improve the security of mail-in voting. Swoboda claimed the county recorders stand opposed to the referral.
“The voters of Arizona are the only stakeholders that I care about,” replied Kolodin.
Kolodin said it was “extremely important” to boost voter participation, especially in rural areas. However, Swoboda said it wouldn’t be her job as the secretary of state to ensure voter turnout was high.
In closing statements, Kolodin said his focus was on restoring public perception of integrity in Arizona’s elections.
“What the voters have been waiting for is elections that we can be proud of again,” said Kolodin.
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A bipartisan bill aimed at reducing overlapping health care regulations and establishing statewide standards for behavioral health technicians is headed to Gov. Katie Hobbs after clearing the Arizona Legislature with broad support.
SB 1162, sponsored by Sen. Hildy Angius (R-LD30), would require the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to review duplicative licensing, compliance, inspection, auditing, and reporting requirements affecting health care institutions.
SB 1162 passed the Senate on final reading Tuesday in a 28-1 vote after previously passing the House in April by a 49-8 vote. The bill was transmitted to the governor on Wednesday.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator Angius Advances Bipartisan Health Care Reform Legislation to the Governor
Angius said the measure is intended to reduce duplicative regulation while maintaining oversight and patient safety.
“Government works best when it focuses on protecting people, not creating layers of unnecessary bureaucracy,” Angius said in a statement. “SB 1162 takes a commonsense approach by identifying regulatory overlap between state agencies and reducing administrative burdens that pull health care providers away from patient care.”
Under the bill, ADHS and AHCCCS would be required to review areas of overlap involving licensing, certification, enrollment requirements, on-site surveys, inspections, audits, compliance activities, data collection, reporting requirements, corrective action processes, and enforcement procedures applicable to health care institutions.
The legislation directs the two agencies to identify opportunities to eliminate or reduce duplicative, redundant, or inconsistent requirements while maintaining patient safety and regulatory oversight. It also requires the agencies to coordinate or align policies, procedures, and operational practices to minimize administrative burdens on health care institutions.
The bill states that nothing in the measure requires action inconsistent with federal Medicaid conditions of participation, conditions of payment, or other applicable federal requirements.
SB 1162 would also require ADHS to submit a written report to the House and Senate Health and Human Services committees by Dec. 31, 2026, and every four years thereafter. The report must summarize the review’s findings, identify any duplication or overlap, and include recommendations for statutory, regulatory, or administrative changes.
The measure also adds a new article to state law governing behavioral health technicians. Under the bill, a behavioral health technician must be at least 18 years old, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and successfully complete required background checks before serving in the role.
Before providing supervised direct services, behavioral health technicians would be required to complete training covering behavioral health system orientation, confidentiality and compliance, professional boundaries and ethics, crisis response and de-escalation, and trauma-informed and recovery-oriented care.
The bill defines a behavioral health technician as a person employed by a behavioral health facility or a hospital authorized to provide psychiatric services who provides behavioral health services under the supervision or clinical oversight of a licensed behavioral health professional or a registered nurse working within the nurse’s scope of practice.
The legislation also limits behavioral health technicians to delegated clinical and support functions consistent with their demonstrated training and competence, as well as the policies and procedures of the employing behavioral health facility or hospital.
The House summary of the bill states that a behavioral health technician would not be authorized to diagnose medical or behavioral health conditions, prescribe medications, or provide services beyond those delegated and supervised by a licensed behavioral health professional or licensed registered nurse.
“At the same time, this legislation strengthens standards for behavioral health technicians who play a critical role in serving some of Arizona’s most vulnerable individuals,” Angius said. “Patients deserve qualified professionals, clear accountability, and a behavioral health system that puts care first.”
SB 1162 was first introduced in January and received unanimous support in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. It passed the Senate in March on a 29-0 vote before being amended in the House. After the House approved the amended bill, the Senate concurred with the changes on Tuesday.
Sen. Angius’ bill now awaits action from Gov. Hobbs.
For more than 50 years, 89-year-old Robert Young has owned the historic Louise Emerson House. He was married on its front steps, and to him it is a priceless vestige of pre-statehood Arizona.
But Arizona State University (ASU) intends to force Young to put a price on his memories and Arizona history. ASU wants to build a new headquarters for ASU Health and a new AI-driven medical school, and Young’s home is in their way.
The Louise Emerson House predates Arizona’s statehood by a decade. It was built in 1902, and has a historic designation with the Phoenix Historic Property Register. Clark Churchill — adjutant general and attorney general for the territory of Arizona in the late 1800s — developed the property in 1888. Much of this history was recovered by Young, who told 12News that he’s spent much of his 50 years as the house’s owner preserving its history.
“I would describe it as being one of a kind, because Clark Churchill decided that he was going to have an important connection with a street railway right here; it was called the ‘Brill edition,’” said Young.
The home’s namesake, Louise Emerson, was a butcher with Phoenix’s Palace Meat Market. Emerson lived in the home with his wife, Clara, until his death in the 1920s. Clara remained there until the early 1930s. That’s what Young told the Arizona Republic in a 2013 feature on his home, along with his belief that at least two others may have lived there prior to the Emersons.
ASU has offered Young about $800,000 to sell, but Young denied. Young has said he may be open to an offer that could cover the costs to have the house relocated, which he said would cost between $2 million and $3 million.
“You can’t get back history,” Young told the State Press. “You can’t recreate a historical treasure.”
Following Young’s refusal, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) filed an eminent domain lawsuit with the Maricopa County Superior Court to force Young to take the money.
ASU said in a statement that they issued several offers to Young based on an “experienced, state-certified appraiser,” some of which included options for moving the home, but didn’t offer further details.
The city of Phoenix has invested $50 million into the ASU Health development, though city officials have said in statements to the media that ASU’s proposal to them didn’t include Young’s house.
ASU Health will span 200,000 square feet and house the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Engineering, which the university says is “a new kind of medical school” teaching the prioritization of data in medical decision-making, and blending medicine with engineering, technologies such as artificial intelligence, and humanities.
ASU plans to open ASU Health in the fall of 2028.
Over 3,700 community members have signed an online petition to save Young’s home as of this report, endorsed by Preserve Phoenix, city of Phoenix’s Historic Preservation Office, and Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition.
A hearing on the fate of the Louise Emerson House is scheduled for June 19.
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A bipartisan bill aimed at expanding Arizona’s emergency medical workforce has been sent to Gov. Katie Hobbs for consideration.
SB 1235, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, passed both chambers with bipartisan support.
The legislation didn’t receive unanimous support from Kavanagh’s party, however. 13 Republicans (three in the state senate, 10 in the state house) voted against the bill. There were no floor or committee discussions on the bill to explain opposition.
SB 1235 would enter Arizona into the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact, which would allow non-Arizona emergency medical service (EMS) personnel the privilege to practice in Arizona, and Arizona EMS personnel the privilege to practice across state lines in compact states without a requirement to engage in the licensure process for each state.
25 states have adopted the compact, representing approximately 400,000 providers: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
If approved by the governor, Arizona would agree to standardized EMS licensure requirements and oversight by the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice.
Any state or states in which an EMS worker maintains active licensure would become a home state or home states. Privilege to practice would only extend to “remote” states: those states where an EMS worker doesn’t have a license. The state license trumps the privilege to practice, and the compact can’t expand the scope of an existing license.
Remote states may investigate and impose restrictions for violations of laws and regulations, but ultimately the compact only allows home states to retain control over an individual’s license. If one state suspends an individual’s privilege to practice, that automatically extends to all other member states until resolved.
The compact would also require FBI-compliant background checks for new licenses.
Kavanagh said during the Senate committee hearing on the bill that the legislation afforded something similar to the reciprocity enjoyed currently by doctors and nurses. Reciprocity requires applications for licenses in other states based on an individual’s existing license, while the compact doesn’t require licensure for other states.
Kavanagh also shared that he was one of the country’s first EMTs at 17 years old while living in New York City. At the time, communities funded their own volunteer ambulance corps.
Among those who signed on in support of the bill were representatives of the Department of Defense, Arizona Ambulance Association, American Medical Response, Healthcare Innovations, and Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona.
In a press release, Kavanagh said the bill allowed for the reduction of bureaucracy in order to save lives in emergency medical situations. Further, Kavanagh said the legislation would enhance licensure opportunities for military members, veterans, and their spouses.
“When seconds matter, government red tape should never stand in the way of qualified emergency medical professionals helping people in need,” said Kavanagh. “By cutting unnecessary barriers without lowering standards, Arizona is taking a responsible step toward a stronger, more flexible, and more prepared emergency medical system.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Legislation sponsored by Senator David Gowan (R-LD19) to modernize Arizona’s timeshare licensing system, strengthen consumer protections, and create industry-specific requirements for timeshare sales professionals has cleared the Arizona Legislature and is now headed to the governor for consideration.
Senate Bill 1274 establishes a dedicated licensing framework for timeshare salespeople, replacing what supporters say is an outdated requirement that forces individuals who exclusively sell timeshares to hold a traditional real estate license.
Under current law, timeshare sales professionals must complete extensive real estate education and pass licensing examinations covering broad areas of real estate law and practice that often have little to no relevance to the sale of timeshare interests.
SB 1274 would create a separate timeshare salesperson license with education and testing requirements focused specifically on Arizona timeshare laws, ownership structures, consumer protections, ethics, and industry-specific business practices.
“Arizona homeowners and consumers deserve to work with professionals who are trained in the products they’re actually selling,” stated Senator Gowan. “For years, timeshare sales professionals have been required to spend countless hours studying for a full real estate licensing exam that covers subjects many of them will never use in their careers. Meanwhile, valuable training time that could have been spent learning Arizona’s timeshare laws, consumer protections, ownership structures, and ethical responsibilities was devoted to unrelated material.”
The legislation defines a “timeshare salesperson” as an individual who works under the supervision of a licensed real estate broker to sell or exchange timeshare properties on behalf of a timeshare plan developer or other authorized entity.
The bill directs the Arizona Department of Real Estate to develop examination preparation courses and testing requirements specifically tailored to the timeshare industry. Applicants would be required to demonstrate competency in areas directly related to timeshare transactions, including Arizona timeshare laws and regulations, ownership methods such as deeds and contracts of sale, leasing arrangements, liens and foreclosure procedures, and business ethics standards governing the sale and exchange of timeshare interests.
Applicants would also be required to demonstrate basic proficiency in arithmetic and the English language, including reading, writing, and spelling, while gaining a general understanding of the statutory and regulatory framework governing timeshare developments and transactions in Arizona.
“SB 1274 brings common sense to the licensing process,” added Gowan. “It creates a pathway that is more focused, more efficient, and more relevant to the real-world responsibilities of timeshare professionals. That means better-trained licensees, better-informed consumers, and stronger protections for Arizona families making important vacation ownership decisions.”
SB 1274 also authorizes the real estate commissioner to issue a one-time, 30 day certificate of convenience to qualifying applicants without examination. Before an applicant may participate in any timeshare offer or sale under the temporary certificate, the complying timeshare plan developer’s designated broker must certify that the individual has received training in applicable timeshare and contract laws.
If signed into law, SB 1274 would take effect on June 30, 2027.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
