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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
CAIR; terrorist organization; urging designation
Purpose
Urges the U.S. President and the U.S. Congress to conduct a full formal review to determine whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) meets the criteria to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization and to pass the Designate the CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act.
Background
The U.S. Secretary of State has the authority to designate an organization as foreign terrorist organization if the U.S. Secretary of State finds that the organization is a foreign organization that engages in terrorist activity or retains the capability or intent to engage in terrorist activity that threatens the national security of the United States. The Bureau of Counterterrorism within the U.S. Department of State continuously monitors the activities of terrorist groups around the world to identify potential foreign terrorist organizations. When reviewing whether a group is a potential foreign terrorist organization, the Bureau of Counterterrorism evaluates actual terrorist attacks that an organization has carried out and whether the organization is planning and preparing for possible future acts of terrorism or retains the capability and intent to carry out acts of terrorism (8 U.S.C. § 1189; U.S. Department of State).
Introduced in 2025, H.R. 4097 would require the U.S. Secretary of State to conduct a formal review on CAIR to determine whether CAIR meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and submit a report summarizing the findings to the U.S. Congress (U.S. Congress).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Urges the U.S. President and the U.S. Congress to:
a) in coordination with the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Secretary of Treasury, conduct a full formal review to determine whether CAIR meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization; and
b) pass H.R. 4097, the Designate the CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act, or any substantially similar legislation demanding federal review and accountability of CAIR's ties to terrorist entities.
2. Directs the Arizona Secretary of State to transmit copies of the memorial to the U.S. President, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the President of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and each member of the U.S. Congress from Arizona.
House Action
FMAE 1/12/26 DP 4-3-0-0
3rd Read 2/26/26 31-22-7
Prepared by Senate Research
March 12, 2026
AN/TR/ci