HCM 2009 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

subsurface minerals; access; federal policy

HCM 2009 is a memorial from Arizona's legislature requesting the federal government to address barriers to accessing subsurface minerals (like copper) under federal land withdrawals, such as national monuments in Arizona. It asks Congress to amend the Antiquities Act to require state consent for new monuments, compensate Arizona for inaccessible mineral rights, and streamline mining permits. The memorial also seeks to rescind specific federal regulations (43 CFR 3809) that Arizona claims incorrectly treat patented surface lands as public lands, complicating mineral exploration. This would primarily affect Arizona's state land department and private mineral exploration companies by reducing regulatory hurdles to develop critical minerals.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Last action Apr 21, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version House Engrossed Version (03/17/2026) · 3 edits · Apr 20, 2026
MINOR
The bill was converted from a simple introductory concurrent memorial into a formal House Concurrent Memorial with a significantly expanded scope. The most critical change is the addition of two new requests: one urging the federal government to create a strategic plan for swapping split estates to eliminate checkerboard ownership patterns, and another demanding a specific rulemaking to rescind federal regulations that incorrectly classify certain private lands as public lands under the Federal Land Policy Management Act.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from general policy requests to include specific directives for eliminating split estates and correcting regulatory definitions regarding private land patents.
REQUIREMENT

Added a request for the Secretary of the Interior to develop a comprehensive plan for strategic land and subsurface mineral swaps to eliminate checkerboard ownership patterns.

Added a specific directive for the Bureau of Land Management to rescind federal regulations (43 CFR 3809.31(d), (e) and 3809.2(a)) that classify patented nonmineral surface estates as public lands.

ENFORCEMENT

The document format changed from an 'Introduced Version' to a 'House Engrossed' version, adding formal headers, page numbers, and a structured layout typical of finalized legislative text.

Floor votes · House Mar 17, 2026

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
12
Key actions
4
Committee
2
Apr 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Mar 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

Sponsors