House debate over HB 2201 amendment on utility liability ends with hostile amendment failing; bill recommended as amended

The Arizona House of Representatives considered floor amendments to House Bill 2201 on Feb. 24, 2025, focusing on utility liability and safety standards. A hostile floor amendment offered by Representative Collin to restore constitutional liability protections failed on a standing count, 28 ayes to 29 nays. The bill as amended then received a Committee of the Whole recommendation to pass and was referred to engrossing.

Why it matters: HB 2201 drew sustained attention because members described it as relating to utilities' obligations and potential liability in safety incidents; proponents said it would support wildfire and public-safety prevention efforts, while opponents raised concerns about limiting liability and preserving constitutional protections.

Representative Carter Neal moved an earlier floor amendment to HB 2201, which the House adopted. Representative Collin then offered a second floor amendment described on the floor as restoring “the protections guaranteed to Arizonans by our state constitution, specifically those of the anti abrogation and non limitation clauses.” Collin said the amendment would ensure that utilities remain liable if negligence causes property damage or loss of life. Representative Collin: “Restoring these constitutional protections for Arizonans will help make our state safer.”

Sponsor Representative Griffin and other members objected to the Collin amendment as hostile to the pending version; Griffin said she had not been consulted on the amendment and had not seen its details before the vote. Representative Griffin: “I do not approve, or accept, Representative Collin's amendment. This is the first that I've seen it.” Representative Olsen said he would support the Collin amendment because it addressed limits on liability and constitutionality he viewed as necessary to the bill.

The House conducted a standing/count vote after members were asked to physically stand for and against the Collin amendment. By that count, the Collin amendment failed, 28 ayes to 29 nays. Following that result, Representative Griffin moved that the Committee of the Whole recommend HB 2201 do pass as amended. Griffin read a list of municipal and local leaders and organizations whose letters were entered into the record supporting the bill as a fire-prevention measure. The Committee of the Whole reported that HB 2201 do pass as amended; the House then adopted that report and referred the bill to engrossing.

Discussion on the floor focused on balancing utility safety and accountability: advocates said the bill supports continued safe and reliable utility service and wildfire prevention, and opponents raised constitutional and liability concerns. The Collin amendment—which supporters framed as preserving constitutional tort remedies—was explicitly called a hostile amendment on the floor; it was not adopted.

The committee report and referral to engrossing are procedural steps before third reading and final passage on the floor. The House did not complete third-reading final passage of HB 2201 during the portion of the session in this transcript; the Committee of the Whole recommendation and the failed Collin amendment are the recorded actions.

The House record shows HB 2201 was recommended to pass as amended and sent to engrossing for further processing.