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HB2707 • 2026

military spouse; preference; employment

HB2707 - military spouse; preference; employment

Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Aaron Márquez, John Gillette
Last action
2026-01-26
Official status
House second read
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify what kind of documentation a military spouse needs to provide.

Military Spouse Employment Preference

This bill allows Arizona state agencies to create voluntary hiring, promotion, and retention preferences for military spouses.

What This Bill Does

  • Amends sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes to allow state agencies to adopt a voluntary employment preference policy for military spouses.
  • Requires that any such policy be in writing and applied uniformly in decisions about hiring, promoting or retaining employees during layoffs.
  • Permits state agencies to request documentation proving military spouse status from applicants seeking this preference.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Military spouses who are looking for jobs with Arizona's government agencies.
  • Arizona state agencies that hire and manage employees.

Terms To Know

DD-214
A document given to military members when they leave the service, showing their time in the armed forces.
Military spouse preference employment policy
A rule that gives hiring and promotion advantages to spouses of active-duty or retired military personnel.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what kind of proof a military spouse needs to provide.
  • It is unclear how this will affect private employers, as the focus is on state agencies.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-26 House

    House second read

  2. 2026-01-22 House

    House Rules: None

  3. 2026-01-22 House

    House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections: None

  4. 2026-01-22 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2707 - military spouse; preference; employment

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB2707 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
military spouse; preference;
employment

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2707

Introduced by

Representatives
M�rquez: Gillette

AN
ACT

Amending sections 23-495 and 23-495.01,
Arizona Revised Statutes; amending title 41, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 41-710.04; relating to employment POLICIES.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 23-495, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
23-495.

Definitions

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "DD-214" means a United States
department of defense report of separation form or its predecessor or successor
forms.

2. "Military spouse preference
employment policy" means a private employer's voluntary preference for
hiring, promoting or retaining a military spouse over another qualified
applicant or employee.

2.

3.
"Private
employer"
:

(
a
)
Means
a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other
entity with one or more employees.
Private employer

(
b
)
Does
not include this state, a political subdivision of this state or a public
institution of higher education
in this state
.

3.

4.
"Veteran"
means a person who served on active duty in the United States armed forces and
who was discharged or released under honorable conditions.

4.

5.
"Veterans'
preference employment policy" means a private employer's voluntary
preference for hiring, promoting or retaining a veteran over another qualified
applicant or employee.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 23-495.01, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
23-495.01.

Voluntary veterans' and military spouse preference employment
policy; private employers; eligibility

A. A private employer may adopt a voluntary
veterans' preference employment policy
or a voluntary military
spouse preference employment policy
.

B. The veterans' preference employment policy
or voluntary military spouse preference employment policy
shall
be in writing and applied uniformly to employment decisions regarding hiring, promotion
or retention during a reduction in force.

C. A private employer with a veterans' preference
employment policy
or a military spouse preference employment
policy
may require that a veteran submit a DD-214
or
that a military spouse submit documentation proving that the person is a
military spouse
to be eligible for the preference.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Title 41, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 41-710.04, to read:

START_STATUTE
41-710.04.

Voluntary military spouse employment policy; eligibility;
definition

A. notwithstanding any other law,
This state or an agency of this state may adopt a VOLUNTARY MILITARY SPOUSE
preference EMPLOYMENT POLICY.

B. The VOLUNTARY MILITARY SPOUSE
preference EMPLOYMENT POLICY shall be in writing and applied uniformly to
employment decisions regarding hiring, promotion or retention during a
reduction in force.

C. This state or an agency of this
state with a MILITARY SPOUSE PREFERENCE EMPLOYMENT POLICY may require that A
MILITARY SPOUSE SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION PROVING THAT the person is A MILITARY
SPOUSE to be eligible for the preference.

D. For the purposes of this section,
"military spouse preference employment policy" has the same meaning
PRESCRIBED in section 23-495.
END_STATUTE