House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference
Key Moments
HB2167 — The committee noted HB 2167 and included it in its order of bills for consideration.
HB2171 — The committee took up House Bill 2171, with an initial motion that briefly misstated the bill number before staff explained the measure. HB 2171 would restrict certain real property transactions in Arizona involving persons acting on behalf of China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea and assign enforcement responsibilities to state and county entities. Members compared it to earlier legislation on foreign land ownership, asked what was new or different about the bill, and then moved toward a vote. Debate followed, with one speaker arguing the bill was overly broad, duplicative, and constitutionally problematic, while another defended broad national-security-oriented restrictions. The committee then voted and ultimately gave HB 2171 a due pass recommendation.
Robert — Robert was introduced to explain the bill to the committee.
SB1082 — A member questioned what HB 2171 does that was not already covered by SB 1082 from the prior year, noting that SB 1082 had been signed into law and addressed many of the same topics.
Harrison — Harrison was introduced to explain HB 2790.
HB2790 — Staff explained that HB 2790 sets reporting requirements and duties for the State Historic Preservation Office and appropriates $1 million in FY 2027.
HB2790 — House Bill 2790 was taken up for committee action, with a motion made to return it with a due pass recommendation. During discussion, the bill was criticized as unnecessarily restructuring agency oversight through statute. The committee then concluded by approving House Bill 2790 with a due pass recommendation by a vote of five ayes and three nays.
James McPherson — Identified as a signed-in speaker.
Brittany Hudson — Brittany Hudson was identified as a neutral witness and then testified as the legislative liaison for Arizona State Parks and Trails. She said concerns about roles, reporting relationships, and authority could likely be addressed through administrative action or clearer policies and procedures, potentially in coordination with SHPO. She also stated that, to her knowledge, the bill author had not conferred directly with her, though she was not entirely sure whether SHPO staff may have been contacted.
Jim McPherson — Jim McPherson is introduced as someone who can answer a question, then provides testimony explaining the background of the bill draft and his role as board president of the Arizona Preservation Foundation. He continues by describing APF’s preservation work and partnerships with Arizona State Parks staff on related initiatives, including state parks funding, the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund, and America’s semi-Quincentennial.
Mr. McPherson — Was asked to address the consultation question and the prior funding issue.
Mr. McPherson — Addressed by the chair/member as the person to answer questions about SHPO application delays.
Mr. McPherson — Identified as signed in and questioned about whether he represents the agency.
Steve Trestle — Identified as part of the group that developed the draft.
Damien Clinco — Identified as part of the group that developed the draft.
Arizona Preservation Foundation — McPherson said he was involved through this organization in developing the draft.
Mr. Tressel — Mr. Tressel is identified as the person who sent the draft bill and who would pass along edits or other information to the bill’s author.
Steve Tressel — Identified as a contact on the bill and part of the communication chain.
Arizona Preservation Foundation volunteer board president — The witness identified himself as the volunteer board president of the Arizona Preservation Foundation, a private nonprofit founded in 1979 to promote historic preservation. He then asked whether he needed to change how he was signed in, and clarified that his remarks represent the policy of the entire nonprofit volunteer board rather than just his personal opinion.
HB2168 — House Bill 2168 is moved for return with a due pass recommendation, and the speaker notes that it is his bill.
Joan Murphy — Listed as a signed-in speaker.
Tom Priselski — Tom Priselski appears as a signed-in witness for Rural Arizona Action and states opposition to the measure. During follow-up questioning, he explains that his organization does support candidates but that most of his work is issue-focused, confirms the group has membership in Cochise County, and describes impacts from Riverview pumping, including wells going dry. He is then asked about Riverview’s home state and about legislation introduced to help the Willcox water basin; he says he does not know the exact number of bills but believes many or all have been vetoed, and that solutions have been proposed through the legislature but blocked by vetoes. The discussion continues with a question about why the governor vetoed the bills.
Tom Priselski — Tom Priselski of Rural Arizona Action explained that public nuisance actions should target harmful corporate conduct rather than minor neighborhood disputes. In the same exchange, he clarified that he is not opposed to large corporations coming into Arizona if they bring capital and economic benefit, reinforcing that his concern is with harmful behavior, not business investment itself.
HB1460 — House Bill 2168 is discussed as part of repeated legislative efforts to address the Willcox water basin and the lack of prior hearings on similar bills. The chair then brings HB 2168 before the committee, moves it for a due pass recommendation, and the committee ultimately approves the bill with a due pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote.
Erin Nessif — Named as a person expected to speak, though the speaker corrects the name to Catherine Warner.
Catherine Warner — Named as the likely speaker from the audience.
HB2500 — House Bill 2169 is introduced for committee consideration and described by staff as creating defamation liability for the Attorney General in certain nuisance actions. In the ensuing discussion, it is noted that the bill is very similar to one that was just passed, and a motion is made to return HB 2169 with a due pass recommendation.
Jody Paulison — The chair referenced Jody Paulison as an expected speaker or witness, then shortly afterward noted that Jody Paulison was not visible/present.
Mr. Prasowski / Mr. Przowski — The chair asked this person to speak again and to state their name and organization for the record; the name appears to be transcribed inconsistently.
HB2169 — House Bill 2169 was discussed in committee, with witnesses and members criticizing it as protecting multinational corporations and creating an unprecedented, punitive defamation standard. Despite the opposition, a motion was made to return the bill with a due pass recommendation, and the committee ultimately approved the bill with a due pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote.
Mr. Puzzowski — A surname variant appears in the transcript; likely refers to the same witness and is questionable.
HB2167 — House Bill 2167 was discussed in a continuous committee segment. A motion was made to return the bill with a due pass recommendation, followed by staff and member discussion explaining that the bill would make the Attorney General liable for damages in certain public nuisance actions and impose treble-damages penalties. Speakers debated the bill’s purpose, saying it was intended to help people facing unwarranted lawsuits and to require proof in court before penalties apply, while critics argued it could discourage legitimate nuisance enforcement by exposing the Attorney General to excessive financial penalties. The committee then restated the motion to return the bill with a due pass recommendation and ultimately voted 5-3 to give House Bill 2167 a do pass recommendation.
Corbin — Corbin was called on to help explain the bill, and the discussion continued with a question about legislative intent that was deferred to the bill’s proponents.
Glenn Solders — Identified as the next new speaker to testify.
friend of mine — Speaker describes a friend whose family has water delivered weekly to their home.
HB2171 — The committee planned to take up HB 2171 and then continued with it as part of the same order of business.
HB2790 — The committee planned to take up HB 2790 and then continued with it as part of the meeting agenda.
HB2790 — The committee moved to consider HB 2790, which concerns State Historic Preservation Office duties and reporting requirements.
HB2168 — The committee’s agenda moved to HB 2168, with repeated mentions indicating it was included in the order of bills and that the committee planned to take it up as part of its proceedings.
HB2168 — HB 2168 is criticized as effectively shutting down an important protective tool. The witness argues that the bill would hinder public nuisance enforcement by requiring the Attorney General to obtain permission from the local board of supervisors before proceeding, and therefore urges that the bill be rejected because it would harm Arizona residents’ ability to protect their livelihoods and quality of life.
HB2169 — The committee discussed HB 2169 as part of its order of business, indicating that the bill was planned to be taken up and included in the committee’s agenda.
HB2169 — The witness opposed HB 2169, arguing that it prioritizes the concerns of out-of-state investors over the legitimate grievances of Arizonans and should be rejected.
HB2905 — The chair said HB 2905 would be held.
HCM2005 — The committee moved into HCM 2005, continuing the agenda item without interruption. After the bill was formally taken up, discussion began on HCM 2005 and a motion was made to recommend it do pass.