HB2937 • 2026

nuclear power plant; employees; requirements

HB2937 - nuclear power plant; employees; requirements

Energy Labor

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Cesar Aguilar, Anna Abeytia, Lorena Austin, Seth Blattman, Junelle Cavero, Janeen Connolly, Lupe Contreras, Patty Contreras, Quantá Crews, Oscar De Los Santos, Brian Garcia, Nancy Gutierrez, Consuelo Hernandez, Lydia Hernandez, Sarah Liguori, Elda Luna-Nájera, Aaron Márquez, Christopher Mathis, Mae Peshlakai, Mariana Sandoval, Stephanie Simacek, Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, Stacey Travers, Myron Tsosie, Betty J Villegas, Catherine Miranda, Analise Ortiz, Priya Sundareshan
Last action: 2026-02-10
Official status: House second read
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is labeled an emergency measure and takes effect immediately, though a specific calendar date for enforcement beyond 'immediately' is not detailed in the text provided.

HB2937: Workforce Rules for Nuclear Power Plants

This bill requires nuclear power plant owners in Arizona to ensure their contractors use a specific mix of registered apprentices and skilled journeymen who are paid prevailing wages.

What This Bill Does

Requires nuclear power plant owners or operators to make sure contractors hire registered apprentices and skilled journeymen for outage, maintenance, repair, alteration, or installation work.
Sets increasing goals for the percentage of skilled journeymen in the workforce: at least 30% by January 1, 2027; 45% by January 1, 2028; and 60% by January 1, 2029.
Mandates that contractors pay skilled journeymen the prevailing wage for their occupation, which must be at least the minimum wage.
Directs the Industrial Commission of Arizona to create rules for verifying worker status and reporting workplace violations.
Allows workers who are not skilled journeymen to assist during emergency situations until those emergencies end.

Who It Names or Affects

Owners or operators of nuclear power plants located in Arizona
Contractors and subcontractors hired by these plant owners for outage, maintenance, repair, alteration, or installation work
Registered apprentices participating in approved training programs
Skilled journeymen who have graduated from approved apprenticeship programs

Terms To Know

Apprentice: A worker learning a trade through an official program approved by the Industrial Commission of Arizona or the U.S. Department of Labor.
Skilled Journeyman: An individual who has graduated from an apprenticeship program approved by the commission or the United States department of labor.
Prevailing Wage: The standard wage rate paid to workers for a specific occupation, which must be at least equal to the minimum wage under this law.

Limits and Unknowns

The exact rules for checking worker status and reporting violations are not written in the text but will be created later by the commission.
The law applies only to nuclear power plants licensed by the federal government that are located within Arizona.

Bill History

2026-02-10 House
House second read
2026-02-09 House
House Rules: None
2026-02-09 House
House Commerce: None
2026-02-09 House
House Natural Resources, Energy & Water: None
2026-02-09 House
House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2937 - nuclear power plant; employees; requirements

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2937 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
nuclear power plant; employees; requirements

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2937

Introduced by

Representatives
Aguilar: Abeytia, Austin, Blattman, Cavero, Connolly, Contreras L, Contreras
P, Crews, De Los Santos, Garcia, Gutierrez, Hernandez C, Hernandez L,
Liguori, Luna-N�jera, M�rquez, Mathis, Peshlakai, Sandoval, Simacek, Stahl
Hamilton, Travers, Tsosie, Villegas;� Senators Miranda, Ortiz, Sundareshan

AN
ACT

amending title 23, chapter 2, article 1,
arizona revised statutes, by adding section 23-207; relating to
employment practices.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 23, chapter 2, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 23-207, to read:

START_STATUTE
23-207.

Nuclear power plant owners or operators; skilled workforce;
requirements; rules; definitions

A. A nuclear power plant owner or
operator shall require contractors and subcontractors to use a skilled and
trained workforce that includes both of the following:

1. Registered apprentices who are
participating in an apprenticeship program that is approved by the commission
or the united states department of labor or another equivalent program as
determined by the commission in rule.

2. Skilled journeymen, who shall
comprise the following amounts of the workforce:

(
a
) On or
before January 1, 2027, thirty percent.

(
b
) On or
before January 1, 2028, forty-five percent

(
c
) On or
before January 1, 2029, sixty percent.

B. Each contractor and subcontractor
shall pay a skilled journeyman the prevailing wage for the occupation, which
must be at least the minimum wage.

C. the commission shall adopt rules:

1. To verify whether an employee,
contractor or subcontractor is a skilled journeyman.

2. To establish procedures for how to
report workplace violations.

D. If an emergent situation arises at
a nuclear power plant, employees who are not skilled journeymen may assist the
emergency situation until the emergent situation is resolved.

E. For the purposes of this section:

1.
"Commission
" means the industrial commission of Arizona.

2. "Contractor and
subcontractor" means any person or entity that enters into an agreement
with an owner or operator of a nuclear power plant to perform outage,
maintenance, repair, alteration or installation work or other work related to
outage, maintenance, repair, alteration or installation work.

3. "Nuclear power plant"
means a stationary nuclear fission-based electric generating facility
that is located in this state and that is licensed by the united states nuclear
regulatory commission.

4.
"Skilled
and trained workforce
" means a workforce in which
all workers who perform outage, maintenance, repair, alteration or installation
work at a nuclear power plant are registered apprentices or skilled journeymen.

5. "Skilled journeyman"
means an individual who is a graduate of an apprenticeship program that is
approved by the commission or the United States department of labor.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Emergency

This act is an emergency measure that
is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety and is operative
immediately as provided by law.