Arizona HB 2204: technical correction; wage board; powers

Bill Text

HB2204 - 572R - I Ver 

PREFILED��� JAN 09 2026

 REFERENCE TITLE: first responders; post-traumatic stress disorder

 State of Arizona

 House of Representatives

 Fifty-seventh Legislature

 Second Regular Session

 2026

 HB 2204

 Introduced by 

 Representative 
 Bliss

AN 
ACT

amending sections 23-901, 23-901.01, 
23-901.04, 23-901.05, 23-901.09, 23-1061 and 23-1105, 
Arizona Revised Statutes; amending title 23, chapter 6, article 12, 
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 23-1106; amending section 38-672, 
Arizona Revised Statutes; repealing Laws 2016, chapter 240, section 2, as 
amended by Laws 2022, chapter 377, section 2; relating to workers' 
compensation.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 23-901, Arizona Revised 
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE23-901. Definitions

In this chapter, unless the context 
otherwise requires:

1. "Award" means the finding or decision 
of an administrative law judge or the commission as to the amount of 
compensation or benefit due an injured employee or the dependents of a deceased 
employee.

2. "Client" means an individual, 
association, company, firm, partnership, corporation or any other legally 
recognized entity that is subject to this chapter and that enters into a 
professional employer agreement with a professional employer organization.

3. "Co-employee" means every person 
employed by an injured employee's employer.

4. "Commission" means the industrial 
commission of Arizona.

5. "Compensation" means the compensation 
and benefits provided by this chapter.

6. "Employee", "workman", 
"worker" and "operative" means:

(a) Every person in the service of this state or a 
county, city, town, municipal corporation or school district, including regular 
members of lawfully constituted police and fire departments of cities and towns, 
whether by election, appointment or contract of hire.

(b) Every person in the service of any employer 
subject to this chapter, including aliens and minors legally or illegally 
allowed to work for hire, but not including a person whose employment is both:

(i) Casual.

(ii) Not in the usual course of the trade, business 
or occupation of the employer.

(c) Lessees of mining 
property and the lessees' employees and contractors engaged in the performance 
of work that is a part of the business conducted by the lessor and over which 
the lessor retains supervision or control are within the meaning of this 
paragraph employees of the lessor, and are deemed to be drawing wages as are 
usually paid employees for similar work. The lessor may deduct from 
the proceeds of ores mined by the lessees the premium required by this chapter 
to be paid for such employees.

(d) Regular members of volunteer fire departments 
organized pursuant to title 48, chapter 5, article 1, regular firefighters of 
any volunteer fire department, including private fire protection service 
organizations, organized pursuant to title 10, chapters 24 through 40, 
volunteer firefighters serving as members of a fire department of any 
incorporated city or town or an unincorporated area without pay or without full 
pay and on a part-time basis, and voluntary policemen 
peace officers and volunteer firefighters serving in any 
incorporated city, town or unincorporated area without pay or without full pay 
and on a part-time basis, are deemed to be employees, but for the 
purposes of this chapter, the basis for computing wages for premium payments 
and compensation benefits for regular members of volunteer fire departments 
organized pursuant to title 48, chapter 5, article 1, or organized pursuant to 
title 10, chapters 24 through 40, regular members of any private fire 
protection service organization, volunteer firefighters and volunteer policemen peace officers of these 
departments or organizations shall be the salary equal to the beginning salary 
of the same rank or grade in the full-time service with the city, town, 
volunteer fire department or private fire protection service organization, 
provided if there is no full-time equivalent then the salary equivalent 
shall be as determined by resolution of the governing body of the city, town or 
volunteer fire department or corporation.

(e) Members of the department of public safety 
reserve, organized pursuant to section 41-1715, are deemed to be 
employees.� For the purposes of this chapter, the basis for computing wages for 
premium payments and compensation benefits for a member of the department of 
public safety reserve who is a peace officer shall be the salary received by 
officers of the department of public safety for the officers' first month of 
regular duty as an officer. For members of the department of public 
safety reserve who are not peace officers, the basis for computing premiums and 
compensation benefits is $400 a month.

(f) Any person placed in on-the-job 
evaluation or in on-the-job training u