The proposed bill would amend current statutes related to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) by introducing new requirements for advocating on legislation, regulations, or rules. Specifically, it would require the ACC, its staff, or any registered lobbyist representing the ACC to first take a majority vote at a publicly noticed meeting and publish the ACC's position on its website and in a legislative information system before advocating for or against any federal or state legislation. This new language is marked as E. Before the commission, commission staff or any registered lobbyist on behalf of the commission may advocate for or against any federal or state legislation, regulation or rule, the commission shall: and includes detailed provisions on the voting and publication process. Additionally, the bill would empower the Attorney General to investigate any violations of these requirements at the request of the Legislature, with penalties of $500 for each instance of noncompliance. This is outlined in F. At the request of one or more members of the legislature, the attorney general shall investigate whether the commission or a commissioner violated subsection E, paragraph 2 of this section. The commission or a commissioner who is found to be in violation of subsection E, paragraph 2 of this section is subject to a civil penalty of $500 for each instance of noncompliance. The bill also clarifies that these requirements do not prevent a commissioner from representing their own position as an individual, as noted in G. Subsection E of this section does not prevent a commissioner from representing the commissioner's own position as an individual.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 23-491, 23-491.02, 32-1101, 32-1121, 32-1151, 23-491.16, 32-1122, 33-1002, 32-101, 44-1522, 36-1624.01
House Engrossed Version: 23-491, 23-491.02, 32-1101, 32-1121, 32-1151, 23-491.16, 32-1122, 33-1002, 32-101, 44-1522, 36-1624.01
Senate Engrossed Version: 40-102