Arizona has signed into law a new measure that significantly increases penalties for individuals who pay or agree to pay for prostitution, targeting the demand side of prostitution and sex trafficking by elevating these offenses to felonies with mandatory jail time. The law also directs dedicated funding toward support services for victims of sexual trafficking.
House Bill 2720, sponsored by Rep. Selina Bliss (R-LD1), passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support and has been signed into law. The measure targets individuals who “offer to pay, agree to pay, or pay a monetary fee or other valuable consideration for engaging in sexual conduct with another person,” classifying such acts as a Class 6 felony under revisions to A.R.S. § 13-3214.
The law imposes mandatory minimum jail sentences: 15 consecutive days for a first time offense, 30 days for a second, and 60 days for a third, with no eligibility for probation or suspended sentences until the full term is served. Repeat offenders with three or more prior violations face Class 4 felony charges and at least 180 consecutive days in jail.
“Arizona is going after the demand that fuels prostitution and sex trafficking,” stated Rep. Bliss. “This is a victory for families, neighborhoods, and victims who deserve a path out. The people paying for sex are funding an industry that traffickers exploit, and communities across Arizona are left to deal with the crime, abuse, and damage that follow.”
In addition, convicted offenders must pay a non-waivable $200 assessment. These funds will be transmitted to the state’s Anti-Human Trafficking Grant Fund and used exclusively to provide services to victims of sexual trafficking.
HB 2720 also strengthens protections for survivors by requiring courts to seal records of prostitution convictions that are later vacated upon determination that the individual was a victim of sex trafficking. This provision aims to remove barriers to employment, housing, and recovery for those exiting exploitation.
“This law holds offenders accountable, puts money directly toward helping victims recover, and puts every person who pays for sex in Arizona on notice: you can face jail time, a felony record, and the consequences that come with it,” added Rep. Bliss.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Republican-led Arizona legislature has submitted a legislative package to Gov. Katie Hobbs that they say will further strengthen parental rights and protections for children.
Among these bills are HB 2249, which would expand on Arizona’s current parental bill of rights by requiring schools to notify and obtain written consent from parents prior to facilitating a child’s social transition of their biological gender.
Social transitioning includes the usage of preferred pronouns and provision of accommodations that align with the child’s gender identity to include access to nonbiological restrooms and locker rooms.
Additionally, SB 1095 would outlaw gender transition procedure referrals or procedures for minors, and SB 1094 would allow individuals to take a civil cause of action against physicians who perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors.
Arizona banned gender reassignment surgeries on minors in 2022, and excludes gender reassignment procedures from Medicaid coverage. SB 1095 extends that ban to medications, as in puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh (LD-3), who sponsored SB 1094, said in a press release last week that these latest bills were created in response to requests from parents.
“Arizona families have made clear that they want commonsense protections for children and stronger parental rights,” said Kavanagh. “This legislation ensures that parents remain involved in critical decisions impacting their children while protecting minors from irreversible procedures with lifelong consequences.”
State Sen. Janae Shamp (LD-29), sponsor of SB 1015, said regulation was necessary to ensure accountability for irreversible procedures, and that a lack of regulation would essentially subject children to political experimentation.
“Arizona children are not political experiments, and parents should never be cut out of life-altering decisions involving their own kids,” said Shamp. “For too long, activists have pushed radical gender ideology into medicine, education, and government while silencing common sense and ignoring the concerns of families. These bills draw a clear line.”
GOP lawmakers have had trouble codifying bills addressing the gender transition of minors under Hobbs. In accordance with the stance of the Democratic Party, Hobbs supports gender transitions for minors and typically spurns enacting statutory pressures on this modern social practice.
The governor has consistently vetoed bills which would impose restrictions on individuals who identify as transgender. Last year, Hobbs vetoed bills that would have prohibited amending birth certificates and driver’s licenses to reflect gender identity rather than biological gender.
Hobbs also issued an executive order her first year in office requiring state employee healthcare plans to cover gender transition surgeries. Every summer since taking office, Hobbs has flown the Pride flag above the American flag in honor of Pride month.
We dropped the Pride banner from the Executive Tower to kick off Pride Month. To our LGBTQ+ community: I will always stand up for your freedom to be who you are, love who you love and your right to live with dignity and respect. pic.twitter.com/ffO9InrjX0
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) June 2, 2026
Hobbs’ husband, Patrick Goodman, was formerly a counselor specializing in youth gender transitions at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
There’s also been resistance to Arizona regulation on transgenderism from the courts. In 2023, a federal court blocked Republican lawmakers’ attempt at enacting a ban on biological males who identify as females from participating in women’s and girls’ sports, the Save Women’s Sports Act. Petersen v. Doe (formerly Doe v. Horne) is pending petition with the Supreme Court.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Legislation sent to Gov. Katie Hobbs last week would add an additional layer of legislative oversight before the Arizona Department of Revenue could adopt certain new legal interpretations that increase tax liability.
SB 1221, sponsored by Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-LD13), would require the Arizona Department of Revenue to notify the chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee before adopting a proposed new interpretation or application of state tax law that would adversely affect taxpayers prospectively. An affected taxpayer would also be permitted to notify the committee chairmen of the proposed change.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator Mesnard Bill Protecting Taxpayers from Surprise Tax Hikes Heads to Governor
If the committee chairmen hold a hearing on the proposed interpretation or application, the Department of Revenue would be required to provide testimony explaining why the change is necessary.
The Arizona Senate Republican Caucus announced that the measure had passed the Legislature and was being transmitted to Hobbs for consideration. The caucus said the bill is intended to protect taxpayers from unexpected tax burdens and provide public scrutiny before agency interpretations take effect.
“Taxpayers should not wake up one day and discover a state agency has quietly changed the rules in a way that costs them money,” Mesnard said in a statement. “If the Department of Revenue wants to adopt a new interpretation of tax law that negatively impacts Arizona families, job creators, or small businesses, there ought to be transparency, public scrutiny, and accountability first.”
The measure would amend A.R.S. § 42-2078, which governs the Department of Revenue’s new interpretations or applications of tax law. Current law generally bars the department from applying newly enacted law retroactively or penalizing a taxpayer for complying with prior law unless expressly authorized by law.
Current law also provides that when the department adopts a new interpretation or determines that a tax law applies to a new or additional category of taxpayer, the change applies prospectively unless it is favorable to taxpayers. The department may not assess tax, penalties, or interest retroactively based on that change, and the change may be used as an affirmative defense in an administrative or judicial action involving retroactive assessments.
SB 1221 would add a step before that kind of adverse interpretation is adopted. The notice requirement would apply to proposed interpretations or applications of provisions under Title 42 or Title 43 of Arizona law, which govern taxation and income tax.
The bill specifies that a “new interpretation or application” includes policies and procedures adopted by administrative rule, tax ruling, tax procedure, or instructions to a tax return.
The proposal moved through the Legislature largely along party lines.
Mesnard, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said the legislation is aimed at giving taxpayers more certainty before state tax administration changes affect families, businesses, and employers.
“SB 1221 helps ensure taxpayers have a voice before government expands its reach, while providing the certainty and predictability people deserve when planning their finances and investments,” Mesnard concluded.
Legislation sponsored by Sen. David Gowan (R-LD19) that would significantly change how photo radar violations are enforced in Arizona has cleared the Legislature and now awaits the governor’s decision.
Senate Bill 1624, which was transmitted to the Governor last week, seeks to limit financial penalties associated with most photo radar violations while preventing those citations from affecting a driver’s insurance rates or driving privileges.
Under the legislation, individuals found responsible for a civil traffic violation resulting from a photo enforcement system would face a maximum civil penalty of $75. The cap would apply to most photo radar violations but would not affect existing penalties for red-light violations or school-crossing violations. Of the penalty collected, $15 would be directed to Arizona’s Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund.
“Arizonans are tired of being treated like an ATM by photo radar systems,” stated Senator Gowan. “For years, these cameras have generated frustration because they often feel more focused on collecting revenue than improving public safety. A photo radar ticket should not carry the same consequences as an interaction with a law enforcement officer who can evaluate the circumstances, exercise judgment, and make a real determination about what occurred.”
The bill also contains several provisions designed to limit the long-term consequences of automated traffic enforcement citations. State agencies would be prohibited from considering qualifying photo radar violations when determining whether a driver’s license should be suspended or revoked.
Courts would be barred from transmitting records of those violations to the Arizona Department of Transportation, and insurance companies would be prohibited from using the violations to establish rates, determine insurability, cancel coverage, or refuse policy renewals.
“SB 1624 restores some common sense to the system by limiting excessive penalties and preventing these automated citations from being used to raise insurance rates or jeopardize a person’s driving privileges,” added Gowan. “This bill protects drivers from unfair consequences while maintaining accountability for legitimate traffic violations. Arizona families deserve a system that is fair, reasonable, and focused on safety—not one that treats every camera flash as an opportunity to extract more money from hardworking taxpayers.”
If signed into law, SB 1624 would establish a statewide framework limiting the use of photo radar citations in insurance and licensing decisions while maintaining existing enforcement standards for red-light and school-zone violations.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
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.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
