Arizona Senate passes slate of bills, including contentious measure critics say targets gender‑affirming care

PHOENIX — The Arizona Senate met March 18 and approved a string of third‑reading measures, including bills affecting state parks access, referendum procedure, health‑care funding limits and capital punishment.

Senate leaders opened the session with an invocation and a gubernatorial proclamation marking March 18 as Arizona Health Workforce Well‑being Day, then moved through introductions and committee appointments before calling several bills for third reading.

Among measures that passed, senators approved changes to state parks statute (sponsor remarks noted targeted discounts and free access for disabled veterans and retired military), revisions to referendum procedures, and multiple health‑related bills. Several measures drew extended debate on the floor.

Opponents characterized Senate Bill 11‑77 as targeting transgender people. Senator Teas said the bill was "another discriminatory measure" and argued it inappropriately singled out a group for restriction ("This is just another discriminatory measure, and it is quite shameful that we are once again putting a target on an entire group of people's backs"). Senator Epstein, who spoke against the measure, called it "particularly dangerous" and said it would deny access to medical procedures paid for with public money: "Some of the bills seem to attempt to ban people from gender affirming care ... this would just say no to anybody using public monies." The bill passed and the secretary recorded its passage.

Senate Bill 11‑94, which opponents said could remove clinical discretion in life‑saving situations, also drew debate. Senator Schamp described constituent reports of patients denied necessary surgeries over vaccination status and urged the chamber to ensure fair treatment for patients.

Senator Rogers, speaking on Senate Bill 10‑50 concerning state parks, said the measure was brought to him by "children waiting to get into a state park" and framed the bill as serving veterans; other senators said they worried the changes could raise costs for families if not implemented with clear education about existing discounts.

On capital punishment, several senators used the floor to frame the policy debate. Senator Epstein argued against expanding execution methods and said the history of executions shows the difficulty of ensuring constitutionally permissible methods.

Votes at a glance (selected measures) — outcomes recorded on the Senate floor and entered in the journal:

• Senate Bill 10‑14 (health insurance amendments): passed; secretary announced the roll call and recorded passage.

• Senate Bill 10‑16 (religious exemption changes): passed; opponents warned it could expand broad religious exemptions affecting workplaces and public health.

• Senate Bill 10‑50 (Arizona State Parks Board / veterans access): passed after sponsor remarks emphasizing benefits for disabled and retired veterans and discussion about fee impacts on families.

• Senate Bill 10‑54 (referendum power): passed; opponents said the bill could strip cities of emergency response tools while supporters said it provided a remedy for misuse of emergency declarations.

• Senate Bill 11‑77 (medical funding restrictions described by opponents as limiting gender‑affirming care): passed after floor debate featuring strong opposition from several Democratic senators.

• Senate Bill 11‑94 (health‑care provision / vaccination context): passed after debate about clinical discretion and patient access.

• Senate Bill 13‑98 (AHCCCS‑related changes): passed.

• Senate Bill 17‑51 and SCR 10‑49 (capital punishment statute changes and a related constitutional resolution): both called for third reading; the measures passed and will be transmitted to the House.

The chamber concluded with committee announcements (Health and Human Services Committee scheduled to meet March 19) and adjourned until March 19 at 10 a.m.

Context and what to watch: Most measures will be transmitted to the Arizona House. Bills that drew sustained floor opposition — notably SB 11‑77 and the capital‑punishment items — are likely to remain points of public and media attention as they move through the legislative process.

— Reporting from the Senate floor; quotes and vote outcomes are taken from the March 18, 2026 Senate transcript.