Policy Perspective - February 2025 Arizona Policy Update

by Jason Snead, Research and Communications Specialist

The Council is currently tracking 136 bills in the Arizona State Legislature. It has been a busy month on both the state and federal level. In this issue of Policy Perspective, the focus will be on several state bills and federal proposals – as well as some tips to keep your stress down.

State Bills

SB 1106 - Public entity liability; sexual offenses (Ava's law) 

This is the result of an awful case of abuse that happened at the hands of a school aide to a young girl with autism. The bill would hold a school district liable if a student is sexually abused and the district didn’t conduct an appropriate background check on an employee.

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HB 2074 - School safety; proposals; assessments; plans

Among other things, this bill mandates each school district or charter school that employs school safety officers on campus to train each officer how to recognize and effectively interact with children with disabilities.

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HB 2540 - Statewide assessment; accommodations; written form

Stipulates a school district or charter school may administer statewide assessments in the form of a written test according to an IEP or Section 504 plan, to accommodate special circumstances or for religious purposes, rather than on request of the school district or charter school.

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SB 1470 - Graduation; students with disabilities 

Clarifies that IEP teams can determine if a student will benefit from special education services until the age of 22. Furthermore, ADE cannot impose a penalty or withhold funding for doing so. The bill also ensures that schools will not be penalized in the calculation of graduation rates. 

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HB 2182 - ALTCS; preadmission screening; cognitive impairment

Requires the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to include cognitive social and developmental needs of an applicant for consideration when developing rules for a uniform statewide preadmission screening program. 

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SB 1383 schools; health services; disclosures

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HB 2330 - Disability; voluntary disclosure; licenses

Requires the application for a certificate of title to a motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer, non-operating identification license, new driver’s license, or a renewal of a driver’s license, to include space for an applicant to voluntarily indicate that the applicant has a “disability that can impair communication.”

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SB 1356 - Group home monitoring program (scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, February 19, at 9:00 am in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee). 

Removes references to the “Group Home Monitoring Pilot Program” and replaces them with references to the “Group Home Monitoring Program.” Lists the requirements a group home must accomplish, beginning January 1, 2026. 

Medicaid and Medicare Proposal

This month, I will look at the new federal budget proposal that will affect Medicaid and ways you can contact members of Congress to give your opinion. 

This week, the new federal budget package released in the U.S. House of Representatives this week proposes what is known as Block Grants and Per Capita Caps to replace the current Medicaid funding system. This essentially means that each state gets a set amount of money to spend on its entire Medicaid program. In Arizona, that’s the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). The federal government would only give each state a fixed amount per person for Medicaid. 

Right now, the federal government pays a higher percentage for a specific set of Medicaid expansion programs (90%) than traditional Medicaid (64.34% in Arizona). Lowering the federal payment for expansion programs below 80% would trigger Arizona’s “poison pill” law and end Medicaid expansion in our state—eliminating coverage for thousands of low-income adults and shifting the financial burden back to Arizona’s state budget. Block grants or Per Capita Caps will also substantially reduce the amount of federal funding available for Home and Community-Based Services provided to members of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS).

Note: Traditional Medicaid covers mandatory benefits and services, including inpatient and outpatient hospital services, physician services, laboratory and x-ray services, and home health services. Medicaid expansion pays for hospital assessments and other optional programs, such as the AHCCCS Restoration Plan, KidsCare (CHIP), and the Parents as Paid Caregivers Program. 

To prevent large-scale cuts to Medicaid, which will have massive detrimental effects on more than 2.5 million Arizonans – including every person receiving services through DDD-ALTCS – members of the U.S. House of Representatives need to hear from you! If you would like to contact your state and national lawmakers to share your Medicaid story, you can put in your address and find their information at usa.gov/elected-officials. 

In short, we need your help. If you want updates on legislative actions happening in Congress, make sure you subscribe to the ADDPC news blast for the latest advocacy alerts.

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Before I go, I want to focus on some key ways to destress from all the happenings at the state level and federal levels.

Remember:

• Know Your Rights – Learn about your rights and available accommodations.
• Use Your Voice – Your story matters. Share it.
• Find Community – Join a community where you can share your concerns
• Set Boundaries – Don’t fight every battle. Protect your energy.
• Celebrate Wins – Every step counts!
• Take Breaks – Rest when you need to. Advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint.

These points are taken from the social media posts of Arizona Achieve, our statewide network of self-advocates working to make their voices heard in local and state policy.