HB 2993 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

DPS; legal representation; appropriation

HB 2993 amends Arizona law to clarify when state agencies can hire their own legal counsel. Typically, agencies must use the Attorney General's office for legal representation, but exceptions allow them to hire outside lawyers if the Attorney General is disqualified (e.g., due to a conflict of interest) or in specific cases like pesticide complaints involving the Department of Agriculture. The bill also requires agencies with their own legal divisions (funded by non-general revenue) to reimburse the state general fund for legal services provided by the Attorney General. This affects all state agencies, including the Department of Public Safety (DPS), by defining their legal representation options and reimbursement obligations.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Vetoed
Mar 2026
Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Vetoed Mar 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version House Engrossed Version (03/02/2026) · 3 edits · Mar 9, 2026
MINOR
The bill was reformatted from an introduced version to a house engrossed version, correcting the title reference from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Law. A significant new exemption was added, allowing the Department of Public Safety to hire its own legal counsel without the Attorney General's approval. Additionally, a $6.4 million appropriation was added to fund these new legal services for the Department of Public Safety from a consumer protection revolving fund.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded by explicitly exempting the Department of Public Safety from the general rule that state agencies cannot hire their own attorneys, thereby allowing them to secure independent legal representation.
ELIGIBILITY

Added the Department of Public Safety to the list of state agencies exempt from the requirement to use the Attorney General for legal services.

FISCAL

Added a $6,400,000 appropriation from the consumer protection-consumer fraud revolving fund to pay for the Department of Public Safety's legal services.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the bill title and formatting to reflect the Department of Law instead of the Department of Public Safety in the main statutory text.

Floor votes · House Mar 2, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
15
Key actions
7
Committee
1
Amendments
3
Mar 12, 2026
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor
executive
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
DPA
lower
1 primary · 30 co-sponsors

Sponsors