HB 2895 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

Native American language; instruction; certification

HB 2895 creates a grant program for Arizona school districts to partner with federally recognized tribes to offer Native American language courses. It also establishes support for teacher certification pathways for those teaching these languages and allows high school students to fulfill foreign language graduation requirements by demonstrating proficiency in a Native American language. The bill directly affects school districts, tribes, teachers seeking certification, and high school students. Key provisions include state-funded grants for language courses, streamlined teacher certification support, and flexibility in meeting graduation language requirements. This policy change aims to increase access to Native American language education within Arizona's public schools.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
House Passage
Jun 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 21, 2026 Signed Jun 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Engrossed Version (04/16/2026) Chaptered Version · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was formally enacted into law as Chapter 117, adding a new graduation requirement for Native American languages. If a school requires a world language for graduation, students can now satisfy this by proving proficiency in a Native American language instead. The law explicitly states that schools are not required to offer these courses but must allow proficiency-based alternatives if they exist.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from a proposed amendment to an enacted law, making the Native American language proficiency option a permanent legal requirement for schools offering world language courses.
REQUIREMENT

Added a new statute (ARS 15-701.05) allowing students to meet world language graduation requirements by demonstrating proficiency in a Native American language.

Added a specific exemption clarifying that school districts and charter schools are not mandated to offer Native American language courses.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document status from a draft 'Senate Engrossed Version' to an official 'Chaptered Version' with approval dates in June 2026.

Converted the text from a line-by-line diff format into a clean, continuous legislative text.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 16, 2026 · House Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

261
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 30
Apr 16, 2026
D Democratic13
10 Yea 3
76% Yea
R Republican17
16 Yea 1 Nay
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
8
Committee
0
Amendments
4
Jun 4, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor
executive
Jun 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Apr 15, 2026
Upper · Passed
DPA
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
DPA
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Myron Tsosie
Myron Tsosie
DDemocratic
AZ
6