public monies; gender transition; prohibition

Plain English Breakdown

The exact penalties for misuse of public funds are not detailed in the provided summary.

Ban on Using Public Money for Gender Transition Procedures

This bill stops public money from being used to pay for gender transition medical procedures.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits the use of public funds, including state and local government money, to fund any medical procedure related to gender transition.
• Defines 'gender transition' as involving surgeries or hormone treatments that change a person's physical appearance from one gender to another.
• Specifies that intentionally using public monies for gender transition procedures by government workers is misuse of public funds.

Who It Names or Affects

• Government employees and officers who handle public money
• Individuals seeking medical care related to gender transition

Terms To Know

Gender Transition

The process in which a person changes their physical appearance from one gender to another through surgeries or hormone treatments.

Public Monies

Money belonging to, received by, or held by state, county, district, city or town officers in their official capacity.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the consequences for misuse of public funds.
• It only applies to medical procedures and does not cover other types of gender transition support like counseling or legal changes.

Official Summary Text

SB1177 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1177

public monies; gender
transition; prohibition

Purpose

Prohibits public
monies from being used to fund gender transition procedures.

Background

Statute
prohibits public officers and other persons responsible for receiving,
transferring or disbursing public monies from misappropriating or otherwise
unlawfully handling funds. A public officer commits a class 4 felony by knowingly
misappropriating or loaning public monies, improperly depositing public monies,
falsifying or altering related accounts or refusing or failing to transfer or
disburse monies as required by law.
Public monies
includes bonds,
evidence of indebtedness and money belonging to, received or held by state,
county, district, city or town officers in their official capacity (A.R.S. ��
35-301

and
35-302
).

Gender
transition
is the process in which a person goes from identifying with and
living as a gender that corresponds to the person's biological sex to
identifying with and living as a gender different from the person's biological
sex and may involve social, legal or physical changes (
A.R.S.
� 32-3230
)

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

Provisions

1.

Prohibits, notwithstanding any other law, the use of public monies to
fund a medical procedure for the purpose of gender transition.

2.

Specifies that the intentional use of public monies to fund gender
transition procedures by a public officer or public employee constitutes a
misuse of public monies.

3.

Defines terms.

4.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

February 13, 2026

MM/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1177 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

public monies; gender
transition; prohibition

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1177

AN
ACT

Amending title 35, chapter 1, article 5, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 35-196.06; relating to public monies.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 35, chapter 1, article 5,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 35-196.06, to read:

START_STATUTE
35-196.06.

Public monies; gender transition; prohibition; violation; misuse
of public monies; definitions

A. Notwithstanding any other law,
public monies may not be used to fund any medical procedure for the purpose of
gender transition.

B. Any INTENTIONAL violation of this
section by a public officer or public employee is considered a misuse of public
monies and a violation of section 35-301.

C. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Fund" means to
subsidize, reimburse, expend, allocate, grant, pay or distribute public monies
directly or indirectly to any person or entity, including for reimbursements
and coverage for costs, premiums or charges associated with a health INSURANCE
policy, contract or plan provided by the Arizona health care cost containment
system.

2. "Gender transition" has
the same meaning prescribed in section 32-3230.

3. "Medical procedure"
means:

(
a
) Surgically
removing, modifying, altering or entering into tissues, cavities or organs of a
person.

(
b
) Prescribing,
administering or dispensing any puberty blocker, hormone or PHARMACEUTICAL or
PRESCRIPTION drug to a person.

4. "Public monies" has the
same meaning prescribed in section 35-302.
END_STATUTE