by Jonathan Eberle | May 13, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
A bipartisan-backed bill aimed at closing a critical gap in Arizona’s mental health and public safety system was signed into law this week. The bill ensures that individuals deemed both severely mentally ill and dangerous are not prematurely released into communities without appropriate care and oversight.
SB 1604, sponsored by Republican Senator Hildy Angius (R-LD30), mandates that individuals who are involuntarily committed to a Secure Behavioral Health Residential Facility (SBERF) be housed in separate facilities depending on whether they are placed through the civil or criminal legal processes.
“This new law will ensure that individuals who need intensive mental health care are placed in facilities equipped to address their needs,” said Angius in a statement. “Arizonans deserve to live in an environment where their safety is not compromised, including those citizens who are severely mentally ill.”
Under current Arizona law, individuals can be involuntarily committed to a secure facility under two separate legal frameworks Title 13 (Criminal): For individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial and dangerous; and Title 36 (Civil): For individuals committed due to severe mental illness, but not necessarily criminally charged.
Previously, both populations could end up housed in the same facility, raising concerns from mental health professionals and law enforcement alike over safety, treatment appropriateness, and Medicaid reimbursement eligibility — particularly for civil commitment cases.
SB 1604 seeks to ensure that those committed through the criminal justice system are not housed with those committed for civil mental health reasons. Mental health advocates say the change is critical for improving treatment outcomes and protecting the safety of both patients and staff.
The new law is also intended to address a growing shortage of secure residential treatment beds for individuals with complex psychiatric needs. Without proper placement, law enforcement and medical providers have often been forced to rely on emergency rooms, jails, or inadequate short-term care facilities.
While SB 1604 provides a new legal framework for separating these populations, implementation depends heavily on the construction and funding of additional SBERFs. Senator Angius noted that a companion funding proposal, SB 1442 from Senator Carine Werner, is currently being considered as part of broader state budget negotiations.
“We’ve laid the legal foundation, but the missing piece to the equation is funding,” Angius said. “I’m hopeful this request will be included in the state budget.”
The bill passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, underscoring a shared concern across party lines over the state’s capacity to handle individuals with severe mental health needs who also pose a risk to public safety.
SB 1604 is scheduled to take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, marking a step toward reform but also placing pressure on the state to fund and build the facilities needed to carry out the law’s requirements.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A motion to urge President Donald Trump and the United States Congress to eliminate the “Vision Zero” transportation framework is making its way through the Arizona legislature.
Senate Concurrent Memorial (SCM) 1002, introduced by State Senator Carine Werner, and cosponsored by Sens. Angius, Carroll, Gowan, and Shope, asserts that the “Vision Zero” doctrine “diverts from sound transportation engineering methodologies and instead employs a one-size-fits-all approach that requires the adoption in all circumstances of lower speed limits, fewer and narrower roads and draconian traffic enforcement measures.” It also observes that while major cities within the U.S. have implemented these policies with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities, experience has proven that they achieve the opposite.
The drafters of the bill note: “New York City experienced the highest traffic fatalities in a decade, Los Angeles sustained a 22-year record high in fatalities in 2023 and Seattle has been subject to a steady increase in fatalities.”
The City of Phoenix approved the implementation of such a plan in September 2022 and has reintroduced and re-approved them since, with the most recent approved of in October 2024. The original plan was unanimously approved by the Phoenix City Council and allocated $10 million in annual funding.
As reported by ABC15, the Phoenix Department of Street Transportation reported in May of last year that although the city saw a decrease in serious traffic accidents, there was also an increase… in deadly crashes. The city plan proposes to reduce traffic deaths to zero by 2050 with Street Transportation Director Joe Brown saying, “It’s ambitious as it should be. Some places we’re hitting the mark and some places we have some work to do.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Fountain Hills Town Council rejected the ‘Vision Zero Road Diet Plan’ in January by a 5-2 vote. Councilman Allen Skillicorn, joined by fellow councilors Gayle Earle, Rick Watts, Vice Mayor Hannah Toth, and Mayor Gerry Friedel, voted to reject the Resolution and terminate the plan, citing that it was rife with DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies unrelated to traffic safety.
“How is this plan racially equitable? Climate change, how does that relate to streets?” Councilwoman Earle asked.
In the text of the measure, Werner notes that “after adopting Vision Zero, Denver, Colorado’s traffic fatalities increased by 33% in the next five years compared to the previous five years, with motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists experiencing the highest fatality rates.” She added, “Portland, Oregon’s 2024 city auditor report attributed a doubling of fatalities to Vision Zero policies, despite reduced speed limits, stricter enforcement, intersection reconfigurations and improved lighting, raising concerns about its real-world safety outcomes.”
Concluding the memorandum to the Federal government, the Senate asked “that the President and Congress of the United States eliminate Vision Zero and the safe systems approach to transportation planning and funding, and instead promote transportation solutions that prioritize sound engineering methods, reliable safety outcomes, flexibility and engineering innovation without compromising individual freedoms or economic efficiency.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
