harassment; intent; defense

HB 2043 defines harassment in Arizona law as knowingly and repeatedly committing acts that cause serious distress, including contacting someone repeatedly, following them after being asked to stop, surveilling, making false reports to agencies, or interfering with utilities. It creates a new class 5 felony offense for harassing public officials by filing nonconsensual liens without court approval or proper authorization. The bill includes a defense for criticism of public officials and excludes lawful protests, licensed investigators, and process servers acting within their duties. Penalties range from a class 1 misdemeanor for general harassment to a class 5 felony for harassment targeting public officials.