peace officer fund; commission; repeal

Plain English Breakdown

The source confirms the commission is repealed but does not specify if a new advisory body will be created.

Renaming the Peace Officer Fund and Ending Its Advisory Commission

This bill changes the name of a state fund used for peace officer equipment to the Public Safety De-Escalation and Life Safety Fund and removes the advisory commission that previously oversaw it.

What This Bill Does

• Renames the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund as the Public Safety De-Escalation and Life Safety Fund.
• Repeals the law creating the Training Equipment Fund Advisory Commission.
• Requires a $9 surcharge on fees for court-authorized diversion programs, with $4 of that amount going into the renamed fund.
• Keeps the existing $4 fee collected from civil traffic violations and criminal motor vehicle statute violations to go into the renamed fund.
• Assigns the state treasurer to administer the fund instead of a commission.
• States that money in the fund may only be used for peace officer equipment.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Arizona State Treasurer, who now administers the fund directly.
• Courts and diversion programs that collect fees from traffic violations.
• Peace officers whose equipment is funded by this money.
• Members of the former Training Equipment Fund Advisory Commission.

Terms To Know

Diversion program

A court-approved class, such as defensive driving school, that people attend instead of facing standard penalties for traffic offenses.

Surcharge

An extra fee added to the cost of a service or penalty; in this bill, it is a $9 charge on diversion programs where $4 goes into the fund.

Legislative appropriation

The process where lawmakers decide how much money from a fund can be spent and for what purpose each year.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not change the amount of fees collected or who must pay them.
• It is unclear if other groups will replace the commission to advise on spending, as the text only says the commission is repealed.
• The effective date depends on when general laws take effect after this bill passes.

Official Summary Text

SB1537 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
s.b. 1537

peace officer fund; commission; repeal

Purpose

Renames the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund (
Training Equipment
Fund
) as the
Public Safety De-Escalation and Life Safety Fund
and
repeals the Training Equipment Fund Advisory Commission (Commission).

Background

The Training Equipment Fund consists of monies from two sources: 1) a
surcharge assessed on fees charged by court-authorized diversion programs of $4
for every $9; and 2) a $4 fee on every civil penalty imposed and collected for
civil traffic violations or criminal violations of motor vehicle statutes or
local ordinances related to the stopping, standing or operation of a vehicle. Training
Equipment Fund monies are subject to legislative appropriation and may only be
used for peace officer training equipment (A.R.S. ��
12-114
;

12-116.10
;
and
41-1731
).

The Commission consists of: 1) one member of the Senate who is appointed
by the President of the Senate and acts as a nonvoting member; 2) one member of
the House of Representatives (House) who is appointed by the Speaker of the
House and acts as a nonvoting member; 3) the Director of the Department of
Public Safety or the Director's designee; 4) one member appointed by the
Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police; 5) one member appointed by the Arizona
Sheriffs Association; 6) one member appointed by the Director of the Arizona
State Troopers Association; and 7) one member appointed by the Director of the
Arizona Police Association. The Commission must meet at least once each fiscal
year and on the call of the elected Chairperson. By December 1 of each year,
the Commission must submit written recommendations to the President of the
Senate, Speaker of the House, Governor and chairpersons of prescribed
legislative committees on the allocation of monies in the Training Equipment Fund
each fiscal year (
A.R.S.
� 41-1732
).

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

Provisions

1.

Renames
the
Training Equipment Fund
as the
Public Safety De-Escalation and
Life Safety Fund
.

2.

Repeals
the Commission.

3.

Makes
technical and conforming changes.

4.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by
Senate Research

February 16, 2026

KJA/SDR/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1537 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

peace officer fund;
commission; repeal

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1537

AN
ACT

Amending sections 12-114, 12-116.10
and 41-1731, Arizona Revised Statutes; repealing section 41-1732,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to Peace officer training equipment.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Section 12-114, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
12-114.

Surcharge on court authorized diversion programs for traffic
offenses; deposit

A. If a court authorizes individuals charged with
civil or criminal traffic offenses to attend a court authorized diversion
program, including a defensive driving school program, it shall require the
assessment of a
nine dollar

$9

surcharge on the fees charged by the court authorized diversion programs.� The
surcharge applies to every individual who attends a court authorized diversion
program, including an individual who holds a commercial driver license.

B. A court or a court authorized diversion program
shall collect the
nine dollar

$9

surcharge and remit the surcharge to the supreme court
,

which shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147,
five dollars

$5
of the surcharge in the
judicial collection enhancement fund and the remaining
four
dollars

$4
in the
peace officer
training equipment fund

public safety DE-ESCALATION and
life safety fund
established by section 41-1731.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 12-116.10, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
12-116.10.

Assessment; public safety de-escalation and life safety fund

A. In addition to any other penalty assessment
provided by law, a penalty assessment shall be levied in an amount of
four dollars

$4
on every civil penalty
imposed and collected for a civil traffic violation and fine, penalty or
forfeiture for a criminal violation of the motor vehicle statutes or for any
local ordinance relating to the stopping, standing or operation of a vehicle.

B. The court shall transmit the assessments
collected pursuant to this section and a remittance report of the fines, civil
penalties and forfeitures collected pursuant to this section to the county
treasurer, except that municipal courts shall transmit the assessments and the
remittance report of the fines, civil penalties and forfeitures to the city or
town treasurer.

C. The city, town or county treasurer shall transmit
the assessment and the remittance report to the state treasurer. The
state treasurer shall deposit the assessment in the
peace officer
training equipment fund

Public safety de-escalation and
life safety fund
established by section 41-1731.

D. The court may mitigate all or part of the
assessment in the same manner and subject to the same limitations in the
mitigation of a fine in section 13-825, subsection B.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 41-1731, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
41-1731.

Public safety de-escalation and life safety fund; exemptions

A. The
peace
officer training equipment

public safety de-escalation
and life safety
fund is established consisting of monies deposited
pursuant to sections 12-114 and 12-116.10. The state
treasurer shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund may be used
only for peace officer equipment.

B. The state treasurer shall invest and divest
monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from
investment shall be credited to the fund.

C. Monies in the fund:

1. Do not revert to the state general fund at the
end of the fiscal year.

2. Are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190
relating to lapsing of appropriations.

3. Are subject to legislative appropriation.

END_STATUTE

Sec. 4.
Repeal

Section 41-1732, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is repealed.