HB2062

THE CONTEXT: The rules and definitions set forth in the Arizona Revised Statutes' rules of statutory construction must be observed in the construction of laws in the state unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the Legislature ( A. R.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require any policy, rule, program or law prohibiting sex discrimination to also prohibit the unfair treatment of a similarly situated member of the opposite sex, allow Arizona and its political subdivisions to provide for separate, single-sex environments, and specifies that single-sex environments include athletics, living facilities, locker rooms, bathrooms, domestic violence shelters and sexual assault crisis centers.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to set a clear legal boundary for sex-based terms instead of leaving the conduct unaddressed. It would require any policy, rule, program or law prohibiting sex discrimination to also prohibit the unfair treatment of a similarly situated member of the opposite sex, and would also allow Arizona and its political subdivisions to provide for separate, single-sex environments, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.