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Committee backs directing pay-parity funds to DPS compensation benchmarks (House Bill 2386)
Summary
The Arizona House Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement returned House Bill 2386 with a due-pass recommendation after testimony that Department of Public Safety staffing and compensation shortfalls have left many counties without full trooper coverage.
Committee backs directing pay-parity funds to DPS compensation benchmarks (House Bill 2386)
The Arizona House Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement voted to return House Bill 2386 with a due-pass recommendation (vote recorded as 13 ayes, 2 no, 2 present). The bill would instruct the Department of Public Safety to create compensation benchmarks tied to the pay-parity compensation fund (funded through vehicle license taxes) to support recruitment and retention of law-enforcement personnel.
Jeff Hawkins, president of the Arizona State Troopers Association, testified the department currently has “close to 500 vacancies” and that 13 of the state’s 15 counties lack 24-hour coverage. Hawkins said Arizona ranks near the bottom in total compensation for comparable law-enforcement agencies and urged benchmarks and use of pay-parity funds to bring pay into a competitive range: “We currently are seventeenth, from top to bottom... Phoenix is number 1.” He told the committee there is approximately $11,600,000 currently in the parity fund.
Lawmakers across the aisle supported the measure in principle, saying improved compensation is essential to restoring coverage and retaining officers. Representative comments cited understaffing and the public-safety consequences of limited coverage; several members described the staffing shortages as a management and compensation problem that requires investment.
The committee advanced the bill by roll call. Members said the change would allow more regular, incremental compensation adjustments rather than sporadic large increases, with the goal of improving recruitment and retaining troopers on the road.
House Bill 2386 now moves forward with a due-pass recommendation; specific appropriation language or implementation timing was not specified in the transcript.
