public employees; merit; hiring practices

SB 1013 requires Arizona state and local government agencies to hire public employees based solely on merit, defined as objective qualifications like skills, experience, education, and job performance. It prohibits hiring policies or practices that prioritize factors like race, ethnicity, sex, or national origin - except to comply with existing antidiscrimination laws. The law allows the Attorney General or others to sue for violations, with successful parties entitled to attorney fees. This directly affects all public hiring decisions within Arizona state and local government.