A new year, another legislative session! Of the many proposed bills that are working their way through the Arizona Legislature, there are a few that are surprising this year.
HB2006 – Minors can’t get married: This proposed bill will prohibit people under 18 from marrying. (SB1139 would allow emancipated minors who are at least 16 to marry as well.)
SB1083 – Kids need more recess: This bill would require elementary schools to provide two recesses a day to students through fifth grade.
HB2007 – Wearing a mask is a crime: Wearing a mask or disguise to a public event, including a civil protest during a political event, in order to obscure your identity, would be a crime. (SB1033 would increase the penalty for rioters wearing masks.)
SB1010 – 21 years old to smoke: This proposed bill raises the minimum age for tobacco use from 18 to 21.
HB2011 – Unlicensed blowouts: Allows people to wash, blow dry and style hair without needing a cosmetology license. The purpose is to make it easier to hire employees at dry bars.
SB1040 – Muzzling fake service dogs: This bill would make it illegal to misrepresent an animal as a “service animal” in a public place. It comes with a punishable fine of $250.
SB1116 – No dogs behind the wheel: This bill would prohibit drivers from having any animal on their lap in the car. It would be punishable by a $100 fine.
HB2084 – Kids can’t tan: No minors would be allowed to use a tanning bed and it requires tanning salons to ID customers.
HB2222 – Free tampons for prisoners: This would require the Arizona Department of Corrections to provide free of charge, unlimited feminine hygiene products to inmates.
SB1036 – Stop lunch shaming: Rules would be applied for schools to ensure children would not be embarrassed if their parents failed to pay on lunch accounts. The student would still be served the same lunch as the other students.
HB2371 – Food truck regulations: Regulations on food trucks in a variety of ways including making a minimum distance that they could park from existing restaurants.
HB2208 – Trying to ban photo radar: Another attempt at trying to ban photo radar in every city in Arizona. (SB1110 would require police review of photo radar tickets.)
SB1007 and SB1015 – Motorcyclists can split lanes: Both of these bills would allow motorcycle riders to split lanes.
SB1091 and SB1145 – Making Bitcoin taxable: These bills would consider capital gains from Bitcoin and similar virtual currency investments to be taxable income in Arizona. It would also allow residents to pay Arizona taxes in Bitcoin.
SB1032 – No pot billboards: This bill prohibits medical marijuana companies from outdoor advertising.
SB1016 – Mandatory call to 911: This bill would require anyone who witnesses a life-threatening emergency to report it to authorities.
