This bill proposes to amend Title 12, Chapter 6 of the Arizona Revised Statutes by adding Article 20, which addresses civil liability for fraudulent scientific research. Under the new provisions, the attorney general or county attorney would have the authority to initiate civil actions against researchers who knowingly or recklessly publish fraudulent scientific research, requiring proof by clear and convincing evidence. The bill outlines specific protections for researchers, including exemptions for preregistering hypotheses, discovering misinterpretations or errors in data analysis, providing reasonable access to studies, and posting methodologies and data in open access formats.

Additionally, the bill establishes potential court orders in cases of fraudulent research, including injunctive relief, restitution to affected parties, civil penalties up to $50,000, and other appropriate relief. It sets a four-year statute of limitations for bringing such actions and specifies that penalties collected by the attorney general would go to the state general fund, while those collected by county attorneys would go to the county general fund. The bill also defines key terms related to fraudulent scientific research, including what constitutes "fraudulent scientific research," "publication," and the roles of "researcher" and "recklessly."