SB 1173 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

behavioral health facilities; fingerprinting

SB 1173 requires operators of specific behavioral health facilities in Arizona to obtain a valid fingerprint clearance card by January 1, 2027, as a condition of licensure. This applies to outpatient behavioral health centers, inpatient facilities, residential facilities, counseling centers, substance abuse transitional programs, and specialized behavioral health transitional facilities. The bill mandates that all applicants, licensees, and facility owners must be U.S. citizens or lawfully present in the U.S. to qualify for the required clearance card. The requirement references existing fingerprinting procedures under Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1758.07. The bill does not alter existing definitions or create new exemptions beyond the specified facility types.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version (03/17/2026) · 5 edits · Mar 17, 2026

MODERATE

This bill expands fingerprinting requirements for behavioral health facilities and updates the legal definitions for fingerprint clearance cards. The most significant change is the replacement of the strict 'lawfully present' citizenship requirement with a more inclusive standard that allows both U.S. citizens and 'lawful permanent residents' to obtain clearance cards. The bill also adds the Arizona Department of Housing to the list of agencies requiring fingerprinting and clarifies the specific criminal offenses that disqualify applicants from receiving clearance cards.

Scope change

The scope of mandatory fingerprinting was expanded to explicitly include the Arizona Department of Housing and to cover a broader range of behavioral health facility types, including specialized transitional facilities.

ELIGIBILITY

The requirement for applicants to be 'lawfully present' was changed to allow both U.S. citizens and 'lawful permanent residents' to qualify for fingerprint clearance cards.

SCOPE

The Arizona Department of Housing was added to the list of state agencies that require fingerprint background checks for employees.

New facility types, such as 'behavioral health specialized transitional facilities,' were added to the list of institutions requiring fingerprint clearance cards for licensure.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Person' in the fingerprinting statutes was updated to include the Arizona Department of Housing and to clarify the list of statutes requiring fingerprinting.

REQUIREMENT

New provisions were added to clarify the specific criminal offenses that preclude an individual from receiving a Level I fingerprint clearance card.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors