Key Points: 

• Bills signed into law in the spring legislative session go into effect on Sept. 26

• The Arizona Healthy Foods Act requires schools to ban processed foods starting in 2026

• Websites with sexually explicit content will require age verification for users 

All 265 bills signed throughout this spring’s legislative session take effect starting Sept. 26, bringing about numerous changes to Arizona policies. 

These new laws include Senate Bill 1685, which redefines animal abuse in the eyes of the law; House Bill 2164, an act prohibiting ultraprocessed foods to be served in schools; Senate Bill 1611, an act installing a program that allows farmers to sell land to developers; and House Bill 2112, a bill requiring age verification on sexually explicit websites. 

Experts have explained how these bills are expected to affect Arizonans:

SB1685

Jerry’s Law, or SB1685, broadens the term “cruel neglect” toward an animal, making it easier to get arrested for animal abuse. 

Specifically, the law adds to the definition of animal cruelty, making anyone who recklessly or intentionally fails to provide medical attention to a pet guilty of the crime. 

Jerry’s Law was sponsored by Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, and signed into law on June 27. 

The Arizona Humane Society is a key supporter of the law. 

“The passing of SB1658 is the biggest win for animal rights in Arizona in the last decade,” Joe Casados, the public relations and social media manager at the Arizona Humane Society, said. “It’s going to mean that the bare minimum standards of care for pets are better established in Arizona.”

Casados said that the average pet owner will not notice any changes after the law takes effect, as the bill is intended to provide more vigilance for only the most extreme cases. 

“What it’s going to do is help us get care for those egregious situations much faster,” Casados said. “If there’s a pet and they need medical treatment and there’s unreasonable suffering, the police can immediately seize that pet.”

HB2164

The Arizona Healthy Foods Act will prohibit schools in Arizona from providing ultra-processed food for any federally funded meal programs. 

The bill cites childhood obesity as its primary motivation and requires that tax-funded meals in schools be composed of whole and nutritious foods. 

In the act, several ingredients are listed in the ultraprocessed category, including a number of dyes, such as Red Dye 40. 

The Arizona Healthy Foods Act was sponsored by Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lave Havasu City, and signed into law on April 14. Schools will not be expected to adhere to the act until the 2026-2027 school year, allowing a year for preparation of new meal plans for students. 

“We’ve got a big problem with nutrition and lack of physical activity, and it manifests itself in lots of different ways,” said Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association. “This is just one simple way that we can do a better job trying to make sure kids are having healthier meals at school.”

Humble said that while the bill does provide some guidelines for proper meals, it is up to the Arizona Department of Education to further define the law and what school meals will look like. 

Ag-to-Urban

SB1611, also known as Ag-to-Urban, is an act that allows properties with “irrigation grandfathered rights” (the right to pump water) to trade in their rights for Groundwater Saving Credits.

Essentially, the bill encourages landowners of farms to sell their land to residential developers, with the intention of conserving Arizona’s water resources. 

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, was signed into law on June 30. 

The Arizona Department of Water Resources will begin accepting applications from potential candidates on the day the bill takes effect, on Sept. 26, according to Ben Bryce, the special adviser to the director at the ADWR.

“We’re not waiting around. We’re not sitting on our hands. We’re going to be ready to go,” Bryce said. “I get the sense that we’re going to receive quite a few (applications), so I hope that we’ll be able to really start getting into that process of … issuing groundwater savings credits under the program.”

Bryce said that while he does not have an exact timeline, he expects the turnaround from applications to credits to be quick. 

When it comes to changes in Arizona’s water supply, Bryce said there is no way to measure the effects the bill will have until years after it is implemented. 

“We’re very hopeful that we’ll be getting applications from farms that are using a lot of water, and turn that around into developments that are using a lot less,” Bryce said.

HB2704 

HB2704 is a bill redefining how Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is funded and maintained. 

The bill stipulates that Chase Field will obtain funding from sales tax generated by the stadium itself and its surrounding area. Additionally, the stadium will utilize the income tax revenue from specific employees of the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, HB2704 was signed into law on June 27. The new funding mechanism is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2026. 

Weninger said that, starting on Sept. 26, there will be an adjustment period for the stadium, with its board transitioning from a Maricopa County Board to a “state board.”

“I think we could see some significant things,” Weninger said. “A lot of the needs are immediate.”

The sales tax from the stadium will become viable for the program starting Oct. 1, according to Weninger. 

HB2112 

HB2112 will require that pornographic websites use age-verification technology to make sure consumers of their content are 18 years old or older. 

The law specifically requires that any commercial entity that knowingly publishes content of which one-third or more is sexually explicit and harmful to minors, to request their users to verify their age. 

Websites are required to verify their users’ government-issued identification or use a program that can determine someone’s age based on data. 

HB2112 was sponsored by Rep. Nick Kupper, R-Surprise, and signed into law on May 13. 

It is expected that Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, plans to restrict Arizona access after the law takes effect on Sept. 26, as it has with other states that passed similar legislation. 

Kupper said he does not expect Pornhub to leave Arizona for long, as its block on Arizona is just a “short-term” solution.

“Most people want the best society, the healthiest society, etc,” Kupper said. “Even if we have different viewpoints on how to get there, we all want that.” 

Kupper said he does not expect to see the intended effects of the bill immediately, as they are more long-term.

“Children’s minds are obviously quite easily formed and shaped or misformed, and pornography is one of the things that can really warp a child’s mind as it’s still developing,” Kupper said. “This is something where I think we’re really going to see the fruits of it years down the road.”