The proposed bill would amend several sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes related to initiatives and referendums, significantly updating the requirements for petition circulators. Under the new law, paid circulators would be required to verbally disclose their state of residence and their status as paid circulators when approaching potential signers, as well as wear a clearly visible badge indicating this information. Additionally, the bill extends the strict compliance standard currently applied to statewide initiatives to those at the city, town, and county levels, ensuring that all circulators, including non-residents and paid circulators, must register with the Secretary of State before collecting signatures.

Furthermore, the bill prohibits circulators from receiving payment based on the number of signatures collected for any initiative or referendum, not just statewide measures. It also allows any applicable filing officer to disqualify signatures collected by unregistered circulators, rather than limiting this authority to the Secretary of State. Lastly, any municipal or county initiative that proposes mandatory expenditures or funding allocations must include a disclosure of the associated costs and revenue sources in its description. These changes aim to enhance transparency and accountability in the initiative process.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 19-102, 19-102.01, 19-118, 19-118.01, 19-141, 19-101, 19-121, 19-142, 19-143, 16-452, 19-121.01, 16-101
House Engrossed Version: 19-102, 19-102.01, 19-118, 19-118.01, 19-141, 19-101, 19-121, 19-142, 19-143, 16-452, 19-121.01, 16-101