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 official text does not specify an effective date for this bill.

HB2707: Voluntary Hiring Preference for Military Spouses

This law allows private employers and state agencies to voluntarily choose whether to give hiring, promotion, or retention preference to military spouses.

What This Bill Does

Defines a 'military spouse preference employment policy' as a voluntary choice by an employer to favor military spouses for jobs, promotions, or keeping their job during layoffs.
Allows private businesses with one or more employees to create written policies that give this preference.
Permits the state of Arizona and its agencies to adopt similar voluntary preferences for hiring and promoting military spouses.
Requires these policies to be in writing and applied the same way to all employment decisions regarding hiring, promotion, or retention during a reduction in force.
Allows employers with such policies to ask applicants to show proof that they are a veteran or a military spouse before giving them preference.

Who It Names or Affects

Private businesses with one or more employees
The state of Arizona and its agencies
Military spouses seeking employment, promotion, or retention

Terms To Know

DD-214: A form from the U.S. Department of Defense that shows a person's military service and discharge status.
Military spouse preference employment policy: A voluntary rule where an employer chooses to hire, promote, or keep a military spouse over another qualified applicant.
Reduction in force: When an employer cuts jobs and needs to decide which employees stay and which leave.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not require any private employer or state agency to adopt these policies; they are voluntary.
The definition of 'private employer' explicitly excludes the state, political subdivisions, and public institutions of higher education from that specific category.

Bill History

2026-01-26 House
House second read
2026-01-22 House
House Rules: None
2026-01-22 House
House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections: None
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