HB 2098 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

county water augmentation authorities; bond

HB 2098 authorizes Arizona county water augmentation authorities to issue bonds for water projects like facilities, water acquisition, or infrastructure. It establishes a formal process requiring bond resolutions to detail amounts, interest rates, and justification, followed by public hearings and board approval before bond issuance. The bill affects county authorities and their operating units (cities, water companies, or other entities), allowing authorities to collect fees for water services to fund these projects. Key provisions include rules for managing bond funds, paying interest, and investing surplus monies, while clarifying that fees are not regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Dec 29, 2025 Signed Apr 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Engrossed Version (02/23/2026) → Chaptered Version · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and approved by the Governor on April 13, 2026, with minor formatting adjustments and the addition of a new section allowing county water augmentation authorities to borrow money from the state's Water Infrastructure Finance Authority for wastewater and drinking water projects. This change expands funding options for these authorities beyond traditional bond issuance, enabling them to access state revolving funds for specific infrastructure improvements.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on county water augmentation authorities, but the applicability of funding mechanisms was expanded to include loans from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority for wastewater and drinking water facilities.

FISCAL

Added Section 45-2000, which authorizes county water augmentation authorities to construct or improve wastewater treatment, drinking water, and nonpoint source projects using loans or financial assistance from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'Project' in Section 45-1901 to explicitly include wastewater treatment plants alongside other water facilities.

TECHNICAL

Corrected capitalization inconsistencies (e.g., changing 'PERCENT' to 'percent', 'ANY' to 'any') and standardized formatting throughout the text.

REQUIREMENT

Added new subsections to Section 45-1996 regarding loan repayment agreements, requiring board approval similar to bond issuance and ensuring agreements are incontestable once funded.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 7, 2026 · House Feb 23, 2026

How they voted

27–2

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 30

Apr 7, 2026

D Democratic13

12 Yea 1 Nay

92% Yea

R Republican17

15 Yea 1 Nay 1

88% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 13, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by Governor

executive

Apr 7, 2026

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

Feb 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

lower

Jan 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors