Senate committee backs bill to designate Loop 202 for Charlie Kirk after amendment fails

The Arizona Senate Public Safety Committee voted to give Senate Bill 1010 a due-pass recommendation after hearings on Jan. 20, 2026, moving forward a proposal to designate Loop 202 the "Charlie Kirk Loop 202." The committee rejected a floor amendment that would have renamed the designation the "Freedom Of Speech Highway."

Sponsor President Peterson framed the bill as an effort to honor Charlie Kirk’s civic work and to ensure the designation would not erase existing segment names, saying, "Nobody will be erased... This is changing the Loop 202 to be the Charlie Kirk Loop 202." Several residents and supporters spoke at the committee hearing; Yvonne Pastor, daughter of the late Congressman Ed Pastor, asked the committee to preserve the portion of the freeway already named for her father and suggested the 101 Loop might be a more appropriate location for any new designation.

Public commentators offered contrasting views. Rob Scowenberry, a retired Mesa police officer, said honoring Kirk was fitting and described him as "killed in the line of his duty and looking out for our whole community." Yvonne Pastor urged the committee to "reconsider a different area of the freeway… However, erasing my father's name is rewriting part of Arizona's history." President Peterson responded to concerns by clarifying the bill’s language and promising legislative intent language would be added for clarity.

An amendment in Senator Cyr’s name — which would have renamed the designation to the "Freedom Of Speech Highway" and limited the designation to undesignated portions of Loop 202 — failed when the "no" votes carried. After discussion and brief statements explaining their votes, the committee recorded 4 ayes and 3 nos and moved SB1010 forward with a due-pass recommendation.

The committee did not take a floor vote on the Senate floor at the hearing; SB1010 was recommended to proceed to the full Senate.