HB 2268 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

fire districts; homeowner's policies; DIFI

HB 2268 creates a grant program funded by a $2 annual fee on each homeowner's insurance policy in Arizona. The Department of Insurance collects this fee from insurers (paid twice yearly) and uses the funds to award grants to rural fire districts located in wildfire-prone areas. These grants must be used exclusively for purchasing firefighting equipment (like engines and radios), building or renovating fire stations, or other public safety emergency response needs. The bill defines "rural fire districts" as non-municipal entities funded by local property taxes and independent of city governments.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Apr 1, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version · 7 edits · Mar 4, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to shift focus from a rural fire district grant program to a broader wildfire prevention authority. The new version establishes a dedicated authority with diverse membership to coordinate wildfire prevention efforts, creates a $20 million annual funding source from insurance premiums, and expands the scope of eligible recipients for grants beyond just rural fire districts to include cities, towns, counties, and non-governmental organizations.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from exclusively serving rural fire districts to a comprehensive wildfire prevention authority that can serve cities, towns, counties, fire districts, and non-governmental organizations across the state.

SCOPE

Created a new Wildfire Prevention Authority with 12 members including insurance industry representatives, government officials, fire chiefs, and public members to oversee wildfire prevention efforts.

FISCAL

Established a $20 million annual funding source from fire insurance premium taxes to support wildfire prevention grants and authority operations.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed grant eligibility from only rural fire districts to include cities, towns, counties, fire districts, and non-governmental organizations in wildfire-prone areas.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the authority to develop operational and financial plans, review fire risk data, and prioritize funding for areas with adopted building codes that reduce wildfire risk.

ENFORCEMENT

Added audit requirements for the wildfire prevention authority fund, including biennial audits by certified public accountants and reporting to the auditor general.

DEFINITION

Replaced the definition of 'rural fire district' with broader criteria for wildfire prevention authority membership and grant recipients based on population and wildfire risk rather than just rural status.

TIMELINE

Specified that wildfire prevention authority funding begins in fiscal year 2025-2026.

Floor votes · House Mar 4, 2025

How they voted

46–12

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 60

Mar 4, 2025

D Democratic27

26 Yea 1

96% Yea

R Republican33

20 Yea 12 Nay 1

60% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

Feb 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA/SE

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors