health boards; evaluations; notice

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the fiscal impact on the state General Fund, but it states there is no anticipated fiscal impact.

Health Boards; Evaluations and Notice

This bill sets rules for health boards when they need to order psychological or psychiatric evaluations of health professionals.

What This Bill Does

• Requires health profession regulatory boards to vote on whether a health professional needs an evaluation if there is probable cause to believe the professional cannot practice safely or competently.
• Requires these boards to give at least 14 days' notice before voting for such an evaluation, including details about why it's needed.
• Allows professionals to respond in writing and appear at hearings to discuss the matter.
• Reimburses health professionals if no action is taken after the evaluation.

Who It Names or Affects

• Health profession regulatory boards
• Health professionals who may be required to undergo evaluations

Terms To Know

health profession regulatory board

A group that oversees and regulates health professionals in Arizona.

probable cause

Reasonable grounds for believing something is true or likely to happen.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not apply to physical evaluations.
• There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Official Summary Text

SB1124 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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PASSED BY COW

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1124

health boards;
evaluations; notice

Purpose

Establishes
procedural requirements for health profession regulatory boards when ordering
psychological or

psychiatric evaluations of
health professionals.

Background

A

health
profession regulatory board is any board that regulates one or more health
professionals in Arizona. The primary purpose of a health profession regulatory
board is to protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified,
impaired or unprofessional conduct by practitioners of certain health
occupations and professionals. In order for an individual to practice or
perform a regulated health occupation or profession or use certain occupational
or professional titles in Arizona, a person must meet certain qualifications
and apply to the designated health board for the license, certificate or
authorization. Each health profession regulatory board has its own processes
established for ordering a licensee to submit to a medical, psychological or
psychiatric evaluation.

Health
profession regulatory boards maintain the authority to investigate complaints
and take disciplinary or nondisciplinary action against licensees, which may
include requiring a licensee to undergo a medical, psychological or psychiatric
evaluation to assess fitness to practice, as provided in statute,
administrative rule or board policy (
A.R.S. Title 32
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Requires a health profession regulatory board with probable cause to
believe that a health professional may be unable to practice safely or
competently to vote on whether to require an evaluation of the health
professional.

2.

Requires health profession regulatory boards to provide notice to a
health professional at least 14 days before voting to require a psychological or
psychiatric evaluation of the health professional, including a summary of the
action or complaint that prompted the board to consider requiring the
evaluation.

3.

Allows a health professional to provide a written response to the
notice.

4.

Requires the health profession regulatory board to consider any written
response by the health professional when determining whether to require an
examination.

5.

Grants a health professional the right to appear at the hearing and
testify before the health profession regulatory board regarding the matter that
is the subject of the notice.

6.

Requires a health profession regulatory board that votes to require an
evaluation to provide the health professional with a copy of the completed
evaluation.

7.

Requires a health profession regulatory board, if no disciplinary or
nondisciplinary actions are taken as a result of the evaluation, to reimburse
the health professional for any costs incurred in obtaining the evaluation.

8.

Clarifies that a health profession regulatory board retains authority to
summarily suspend a license under existing law.

9.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Amendments
Adopted by Committee of the Whole

1.

Requires a health profession regulatory board with probable cause to
believe that a health professional may be unable to practice safely or
competently to vote on whether to require an evaluation of the health
professional.

2.

Limits health profession regulatory board hearing notice requirements
for proposed licensee evaluations to psychological or psychiatric evaluations.

3.

Clarifies that a health profession regulatory board retains authority to
summarily suspend a license under existing law.

Senate Action

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Prepared by
Senate Research

February 26, 2026

MM/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1124 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

health boards;
evaluations; notice

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1124

AN
ACT

Amending title 32, chapter 32, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 32-3230.03; relating to health
professionals.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 32, chapter 32, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 32-3230.03, to read:

START_STATUTE
32-3230.03.

Evaluations; notice; hearing; results; reimbursement

A.
If a health
profession regulatory board determines that there is probable cause to believe
that a health professional may not be able to practice safely or competently,
the health profession regulatory board shall vote on whether to require an
evaluation of the health professional as prescribed in this section.� At least
fourteen days before a health profession regulatory board meets to vote to
require a psychological
or psychiatric evaluation of a
health professional, the health profession regulatory board shall provide a
notice to the health professional that includes a summary of the action or
complaint that prompted the health profession regulatory board to consider
requiring the evaluation.

B. The health professional may
provide a written response to the notice required by subsection a of this
section.� The health profession regulatory board shall consider any written
response by the health professional when determining whether to require a
psychological
or psychiatric evaluation.� The health
professional has the right to appear at a hearing and testify before the health
profession regulatory board regarding the matter that is the subject of the
notice required by subsection a of this section.

C. If the health profession
regulatory board votes to require a psychological
or psychiatric
evaluation of a health professional, the health profession regulatory board
shall provide the health professional with a copy of the completed evaluation.
If the health profession regulatory board does not take any disciplinary or
nondisciplinary action as a result of the evaluation, the health profession
regulatory board shall reimburse the health professional for any costs the
health professional incurred in obtaining the evaluation.

D. This section does not supersede a
health profession regulatory board's authority to summarily suspend a license
pursuant to section 41-1064.
END_STATUTE