hospitals; patient immigration status; reporting

SB1051 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

hospitals; patient
immigration status; reporting

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1051

AN
ACT

Amending title 36, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-407.04; RElating to health care
institutions.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 36, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-407.04, to read:

START_STATUTE
36-407.04.

Hospitals; patient immigration status; data collection; reporting
requirements

A. Each hospital that accepts payment
pursuant to chapter 29, article 1 of this title shall include a place on its
patient admission or registration form for the patient or the patient's
representative to state or indicate whether the patient is a United States
citizen or lawfully present in the United States or is not lawfully present in
the United States.� The inquiry must be followed by a statement on the form
that the patient's response will not affect the patient's care or result in a
report of the patient's immigration status to immigration authorities.

B. Each hospital shall submit a
quarterly report to the department within thirty days after the end of each
calendar quarter that states the number of hospital admissions or emergency
department visits within the previous quarter that were made by patients who
indicated that they are a citizen of the United States or lawfully present in
the United States, indicated that they are not lawfully present in the United
States or declined to answer the question.

C. The department may adopt rules
relating to the format and information to be contained in quarterly reports and
the acceptable formats for hospitals to use in requesting information regarding
a patient's immigration status on hospital admission or registration forms.�
The rules may not require the disclosure of patient names or any other personal
identifying information to the department.

D. On or before March 1 of each year,
the department shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the
senate and the speaker of the house of representatives that includes the total
number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits for the previous
calendar year for which the patient or patient's representative reported that
the patient is a citizen of the United States, is lawfully present in the
United States or is not lawfully present in the United States or declined to
answer the question.� The report must also describe information relating to the
costs of uncompensated care for aliens who are not lawfully present in the
United States, the impact of uncompensated care on the cost or ability of
hospitals to provide services to the public, hospital funding needs and other
related information.� The department shall provide a copy of the report to the
secretary of state.
END_STATUTE