Arizona House committee recommends HB2074 after heated debate over mandatory reporting
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Summary
During a Committee of the Whole on Jan. 28, 2026, lawmakers debated House Bill 2074, which sponsors say expands mandatory reporting tied to an existing Arizona ban on partial-birth abortion; opponents called the bill punitive toward medical staff and women. The committee recommended the bill 'do pass' as amended and referred it to engrossing.
PHOENIX — The Arizona House, sitting as a Committee of the Whole on Jan. 28, 2026, recommended House Bill 2074 as amended after floor debate that split lawmakers over expanding mandatory reporting tied to the state’s existing ban on what the bill’s sponsor described as "partial-birth abortion." Representative Fink, who moved the committee amendment and the bill, said the measure "just expands mandatory reporting requirements so the state can verify compliance with existing law" and framed the change as ensuring "public accountability."
Supporters said the amendment elevates the penalty to a class 6 felony and places reporting duties on certain staff with direct knowledge of an unlawful procedure. "Mandatory reporting is already required in health care for maternal mortalities, surgical complications, infectious diseases," Fink said, arguing the bill is consistent with other public-health reporting obligations. In closing she reiterated that the reporting requirement "does not hurt women, and it protects the baby."
Opponents forcefully disagreed. House Minority Leader De Los Santos said the bill "is a monstrosity of a bill" and warned it would "throw in jail for up to 2 and a half years doctors, nurses, even janitors" who fail to participate in a new surveillance system. "That means that this Republican legislature believes that women should be civilly and criminally punished for seeking life-saving health care," De Los Santos said.
Representative Pam Carter offered support on the House floor, describing the procedure in uncompromising terms and saying she backed the bill.
After discussion Representative Fink moved that HB2074 as amended "do pass." The chair reported the Committee of the Whole’s due-pass recommendation and announced "the ayes have it." The House ordered HB2074, as amended, referred to engrossing. The bill’s text, legislative history and statutory citations were not read into the record during floor action and are not specified in the transcript.
Background: In remarks on the floor, sponsors and supporters described HB2074 as an expansion of mandatory reporting to enforce an existing Arizona prohibition and noted a federal prohibition on the same named procedure. Opponents said the proposal would criminalize a range of health-care workers and could expose patients and staff to civil and criminal liability.
Next steps: HB2074 was referred to engrossing following the Committee of the Whole recommendation. Any subsequent votes, amendments or final passage will be recorded in later entries of the House journal.
