ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House: PSLE DPA 8-6-0-1 | APPROP DPA 11-7-0-0

☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note

HB 2993: DPS; legal representation; appropriation

Sponsor: Representative Montenegro, LD 29

House Engrossed

Overview

Allows the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to make expenditures for legal services and appropriates $6.4 million from the Consumer Protection-Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund (CPCF Fund) to DPS as a supplemental appropriation in fiscal year (FY) 2026.

History

The Attorney General (AG) is statutorily responsible for governing the Department of Law and serving as the State's chief legal officer. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the AG acts as the legal advisor of the departments of the State, renders such legal services and coordinates the legal services required by departments or agencies. Additionally, the AG represents  political subdivisions, school districts and municipalities in suits to enforce state and federal antitrust, restraint of trade or price-fixing laws. Statute currently allows 11 state entities to also employ legal counsel or make an expenditure or incur an indebtedness for legal services, but all other agencies are prohibited from doing so (A.R.S. § 41-192).

The CPCF Fund is administered by AG and monies within the CPCF Fund are subject to legislative appropriation and exempt from lapsing. The CPCF Fund consists of monies from any investigative or court costs, attorney fees, or civil penalties that the AG recovers as a result of enforcement of state or federal statutes pertaining to consumer protection or consumer fraud. Monies accrued from the regulatory sandbox application fees are also deposited by the AG into the CPCF Fund. The CPCF Fund is primarily used to pay for operating expenses associated with the tobacco master settlement agreement arbitration, consumer fraud education and the enforcement operations of the consumer protection division (A.R.S. §§ 41-5603; 44-1531.01).

Provisions

1.   Adds DPS to the state agencies exempt from the mandate that only the AG may employ legal counsel or incur legal service expenditures or indebtedness. (Sec. 1)

2.   Appropriates $6.4 million from the CPCF Fund to DPS as a supplemental appropriation in FY 2026. (Sec. 2)

3.   Makes technical changes. (Sec. 1)

 

 

 

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Initials NM/AI                       HB 2993

2/25/2026        Page 0 House Engrossed

 

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