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The Arizona Legislature passed 353 bills in the 2017 session. Here’s how these new laws impact you.
Wochit

The Arizona Legislature this session passed 353 bills.Gov. Doug Ducey has so far signed 302 of them into law, and more will be signed in the coming days. Most of those new laws take effect Aug. 9.

Many of the laws are small changes to existing state statutes that will have little impact on the public. But here are 16 that could change Arizonans’ daily lives:

School vouchers

SB 1431 expands the state Empowerment Scholarship Account program to allow all 1.1 million public-school students to apply. It caps the program’s growth, allowing an estimated 30,000 students total to participate by 2022 on a first-come, first-served basis. The program gives public funds to students to use on private-school tuition, therapies and other educational services.

Disability rights

SB 1406 amends the Arizonans with Disabilities Act to give businesses up to 90 days to correct structural accessibility violations before a lawsuit can be filed, and exempting websites from state accessibility requirements. 

Predatory moving

HB 2145 provides protections for people who hire a moving company for an in-state move. The law is designed to prevent movers from refusing to unload a person’s goods if there is a disagreement over payment. It requires moving companies to provide a written contract and disclose all fees. 

Private gun sales

SB 1122 prevents state, county and city governments from requiring background checks on private gun sales

Texting and driving

SB 1080 bans minors from using a mobile device while driving for their first six months on the road with both a learner’s permit and a driver’s license. This law takes effect July 2018. 

Sunscreen at school

HB 2134 allows a school-age child attending a public district or charter school, a children’s camp or a day care to have and use sunscreen without a note or prescription.

Income-tax exemption

The state budget includes a $100 increase in the personal income-tax exemption over the next two years. It is estimated to work out to about $2 per person when fully implemented.

End-of-life decisions

SB 1439 protects from discrimination individuals, such as doctors or nurses, and entire medical facilities that refuse to participate in any service or to provide any item that results in the death of an individual.

Inhalers at school

HB 2208 allows a public district or charter school employee to administer a rescue inhaler to a student or an adult if the individual is showing signs of respiratory distress. It allows schools to apply for grants or accept donations to buy inhalers and spacers. 

Mining and Mineral Museum

It’s back, due to the work of Sen. Gail Griffin over the past three years. Under SB 1415, the museum will operate under the control of the University of Arizona. And SB 1184 provides $900,000 to help get it up and running at its previous location, 1502 W. Washington St. along the Capitol Mall in Phoenix. It is unclear at this point when the displays and geological specimens will open to the public.

Medical bills

SB 1441 allows an individual with health insurance who has received a surprise out-of-network bill over $1,000 to seek help from the state Department of Insurance in disputing the bill and resolving that dispute. The department would assign an arbitrator to settle disputes.

License-plate cover

SB 1073 makes it illegal to cover a license plate or use any electronic device or film that obscures the plate from any angle.

Babies born alive

SB 1367 regulates how doctors must care for a fetus born alive during an abortion, including having neonatal emergency equipment and trained staff in the room for all abortions performed at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill does have some caveats for a fetus with a fatal condition.

Kids and pets in hot cars

HB 2494 protects from a civil lawsuit anyone who enters a locked unattended vehicle to rescue a child or pet if the person believes the child or pet is “in imminent danger of physical injury or death.” The person must then call police or animal control and stay with the animal or child until they arrive.

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