HB2248 is an overly broad bill, misleadingly characterized as “medical freedom.” This Bill blocks virtually everyone in the state including schools, daycares, employers, businesses, and government agencies from instituting basic health and safety requirements. It goes far beyond vaccines and interferes with common-sense protections that help prevent the spread of illness like strep and lice, putting classrooms, workplaces, hospitals, the economy, and even healthy individuals at risk for illness and disease.
HB2086 bans mask and vaccine requirements for schools, government entities, and even private businesses. It removes flexibility to respond to potential outbreaks and limits the ability of employers and schools, especially medical settings, to protect employees, patients, and students. Arizona already allows personal belief and religious exemptions for school vaccines. No kid is forced to get any vaccine. This Bill is just another attempt to discourage vaccination.
2026 Moving Bills
SB1011: This Bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. On the surface, it appears to be attempting to research Sudden Infant Death Cases (SIDS). In reality, it is the first step in attempting to link SIDS to infant immunizations, a known misinformation tactic.
Specifics: This Bill requires infant deaths to be reported to CDC, which Arizona already does by participating in the CDC’s Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) case registry.
The Bill also requires the medical examiner or forensic pathologist to review the infant’s immunization history and any countermeasures administered in the 90 days before death. Pursuant to Arizona law, ARS Section 36-3506 and the SUID requirements, vaccinations, medications, and medical history are already reviewed when determining cause of death.
SIDS is tragic and more resources need to be deployed to prevent infant deaths. Arizona has a Child Fatality Review Board. In its most recent report from 2025, the number one risk factor linked to SIDS—by far—was unsafe sleep environments, with a 95% correlation.
Based on that evidence, experts recommended things that actually work: more safe-sleep education, home-visiting programs to support new parents, and funding to help low-income families afford a safe crib.
Those recommendations save lives. This bill does not address them.
SB1016: allows employees to file workplace religious-exemption complaints directly with the Arizona Attorney General, even though these issues are already handled under federal civil rights law. This Bill would require the Attorney General’s office to investigate every complaint.
The majority of employers do not have any vaccination requirements. When they do, it is typically healthcare institutions that treat vulnerable patients and medical personnel. This Bill could create a chilling effect: institutions may weaken or abandon vaccine policies to avoid the hassle of meritless complaints, putting vulnerable people at greater risk.
Additionally, religious accommodation disputes are already handled under federal civil rights law through the EEOC and federal courts. This Bill creates a second, parallel system at the state level, which means Arizonans are being doubly taxed in order to investigate these claims.