AZ| Arizona DIFI Regulatory Bulletin 2026-03 is an advisory substantive policy statement summarizing the 16 insurance- and financial-institution-related bills enacted during the Fifty-seventh Legislature’s Second Regular Session, which adjourned June 13, 2026. All bills take effect on the general effective date of September 12, 2026 unless otherwise noted, and the bulletin expressly is not exhaustive — regulated entities remain responsible for reviewing the full enacted text and ensuring compliance, with more detailed implementation bulletins possible later.
Law Updates
- Ch. 11 (SB 1415) – Adjuster license eligibility (adds §20-321.03): AZ-resident salaried employees of insurers/MGAs holding a pre-2026 DHS license elsewhere may be licensed without the AZ exam if they apply by June 30, 2027; license limited to salaried claims work only.
- Ch. 47 (HB 2138) – Firefighters (amends §23-1021.01): Defines “firefighter” for workers’ comp eligibility when injured or killed commuting to/from work.
- Ch. 89 (HB 2308) – Dental insurers (amends §32-1213): Bars dental insurers and their holding companies (10%+ ownership or voting rights) from owning entities offering dental services to the public.
- Ch. 97 (HB 2501) – AMC definition (amends §32-3661): Clarifies an appraisal management company administers an appraiser panel within a 12-month period.
- Ch. 107 (HB 2693) – Bona fide associations (amends §20-2324): Allows self-funded MEWAs through a statewide chamber of commerce or business league meeting bylaws, 5-year good-faith, and federal tax-exempt tests.
- Ch. 122 (HB 2996) – Certificates of insurance (adds §20-443.03): COIs are not policies and can’t alter coverage; bans false/misleading or coverage-altering COIs, limits third-party notice rights, adds cease-and-desist authority and penalties up to $1,000 per violation; applies to contracts entered on/after 9/12/2026 for AZ P&C risks.
- Ch. 129 (HB 4157) – Commerce/assessments (amends §20-156): Extends the annual assessment to foreign and alien insurers (not just domestic), broadens permitted use of funds, and subjects the Financial Surveillance Fund to legislative appropriation.
- Ch. 140 (HB 4168) – Taxation omnibus (amends §§20-224, 20-224.01, 20-837, 20-1010, 20-1060, 20-1097.07; repeals §20-224.03): Repeals the premium tax credit for net new AZ full-time employees for tax years beginning 1/1/2026, with a carryforward savings clause.
- Ch. 145 (SB 1135) – Burial costs (amends §23-1046): Raises the workers’ comp burial expense death benefit cap from $5,000 to $10,000.
- Ch. 146 (SB 1136) – Death benefits/remarriage (amends §23-1046): Restructures first responder survivor benefits (66⅔% spouse-only; 35%/31⅔% split with children) payable until spouse’s death; restores prospective eligibility from 9/12/2026 for spouses who lost benefits to remarriage on/after 1/1/2000, with no retroactive pay.
- Ch. 151 (SB 1165) – Breast exam cost sharing (adds §§20-841.14, 20-1057.21, 20-1376.11, 20-1406.11): Effective 1/1/2027, bans cost sharing for breast cancer preventive screening and follow-up diagnostic/supplemental exams, with HDHP deductible carve-outs.
- Ch. 157 (SB 1206) – Storm claims/adjusters (amends §§20-321, 20-321.02, 32-1158.02): Bars solicitation during an ongoing loss or emergency response, participation in repair/restoration of adjusted claims, and endorsing claim payments without the insured’s signature; expands “adjust” and “adjuster” definitions.
- Ch. 180 (SB 1494) – Patient steering (amends §§13-3730, 20-281, 20-449, 32-1401, 32-1601, 32-1854, 36-407): Criminalizes producer kickbacks tied to sober living home referrals and false AHCCCS eligibility statements, bans provider/manufacturer premium payments, sets class 3/4/6 felonies plus $1,000+ civil penalties (doubled for serial offenders), with navigator and care-coordination exemptions.
- Ch. 208 (HB 2979) – Credit unions (amends §§6-506 through 6-551): Sets 10-business-day acknowledgment and 30/60-business-day decision deadlines for bylaw, name, and location changes; adds out-of-state parity powers with Deputy Director approval; loosens delegation and credit committee rules.
- Ch. 228 (SB 1428) – Zero exposure WC proof (adds §23-911): Requires a signed no-employee attestation for zero estimated exposure policies, mandated COI verification language for construction policies, direct-contractor notice and copies, and 3-year retention by recipients; applies on/after July 1, 2027.
- Ch. 247 (HB 2174) – Modeling and data organizations (amends §§20-235 through 20-3604): Renames advisory organizations as MDOs, requires filing of member lists and rating models (models and outputs confidential), removes discretionary exam authority, and clarifies credit-for-reinsurance exceptions including a $250M capital/surplus multistate-licensure path.