<![CDATA[PATTY CONTRERAS FOR ARIZONA

<![CDATA[PATTY CONTRERAS FOR ARIZONA - Blog]]>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:57:06 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Deed Fraud Bill Passes!]]>Mon, 04 May 2026 22:33:55 GMThttps://www.contrerasforaz.net/blog/deed-fraud-bill-passesI was privileged to attend the signing of SB1479, a Deed Fraud prevention bill sponsored by Senator Carroll. This was not my bill but it is important legislation that resulted from years of advocacy by myself and LD12 constituent, Debi Gotlieb. Debi and I have been working on this issue for over three years!

A littel bit of history. In December 2023, I hosted a stakeholder meeting to understand this problem and develop legislation. Our first bill, which I submitted in 2024, didn’t get very far but it was a positive start. This effort, along with the advocacy of Debi Gotlieb, encouraged the County Assessor to host a Summit last year, and then in the fall we met as a task force to discuss the on-going problem of Deed Fraud. These folks included county assessors, county treasurers, the Attorney General’s office, the Secretary of State’s office, realtors, title companies, and victims. We brainstormed possible solutions over the course of these meetings. There are many ways for criminals to commit deed fraud; the legislation signed by Governor Hobbs will combat it from different angles. Here’s what it does:
1. Notaries will need to get a fingerprint from the seller. Debi’s criminal was found by a fingerprint taken by a California notary. This requirement is for any deed or document pertaining to property, and powers of attorney.
2. You will need to provide an ID if you go to the county recorder’s office to record a deed.
3. Recording a fraudulent deed is now a Class 4 felony, it was previously only a misdemeanor.
4. It closes the Dominguez v Dominguez loophole which allowed others who had paid your property taxes for five years to become the lawful owners of that property.
5. County Assessors will be developing a Property Protection Program that will notify you if someone changes your address with the assessors office. This will be an opt-in program. (I will let you know when this program is set up and ready for you to opt-in.)

This bill was a culmination of a lot of work we have done over the last three years to help people keep their most valued possession, their homes and property. We have more work to do but I’m proud of the work we’ve done so far to combat deed fraud.

In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up with Maricopa Title Alert (or your specific county) to get notified if something has been recorded with your name. This is another tool in the toolbox to protect your property.

]]><![CDATA[Tough Budget Year Ahead]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 18:16:42 GMThttps://www.contrerasforaz.net/blog/tough-budget-year-aheadHouse bills have been heard in the Senate, Senate bills have been heard in the House. The Appropriations Committee met on Tuesday, March 31 to hear any last bills, mostly appropriations but some outliers and Republican “strike everything” pet projects. We have voted on some of these bills (probably not all of them, depending on the whims of the Speaker) and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. Now it's time for the budget.

You may have heard that the governor chastised the Republican legislative majority for not working on a legitimate Prop. 1-2-3 proposal. Prop. 1-2-3, provided funding for public education through increased distributions from the State Land Trust. This fund provided $300 to $400 million dollars every year for K-12 public schools but it ended in 2025. The Republican majority wants to tie Prop. 1-2-3 funding to ONLY teacher salaries (forgetting that there are many other personnel who help a school function) and/or enshrine the universal voucher system in the Arizona Constitution. Neither of these proposals are acceptable to the Democratic caucus. We are still hoping for a clean Prop. 1-2-3, meaning that the proposal would have no strings attached and the same 6.9% distribution (we wanted more but will settle for status quo). Stay tuned.

And speaking of the budget…we have been receiving updates on the status of the state budget and the news is not good. The Big Bad Bill (HR1) will impact our budget, over $400 MILLION this next fiscal year. There are income tax reconciliation and other things to take into consideration. In addition to the HR1 budget impacts, we will also need to figure out how to finance public school infrastructure and how to improve health services in the department of corrections. These last two are the result of litigation against the state because the legislature has not been providing adequate resources in these areas. And, of course, the economy is a huge consideration. The volatility of the tariffs and now the war in Iran will likely cause inflation, and this will make it hard to predict how it will affect income into the state coffers. I’m sorry to report that it is going to be a tough budget year. More on that in the next blog post

]]><![CDATA[February 03rd, 2026]]>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:34:57 GMThttps://www.contrerasforaz.net/blog/february-03rd-2026Last week was the first real week of hearing bills. I am on three committees Health & Human Services, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Natural Resources, Energy, & Water. Each committee has a briefing by our expert policy advisor so we can learn information about each bill. In addition, bills are sponsored or championed by various groups and lobbyists who want our attention to explain and advocate for their legislation. I have appointments with these folks to learn more about the bills. So to just get to the committee meeting, not counting reading the actual legislation, I have already spent 5 to 6 hours to get ready for it!

My week was long and tiring. Monday's committee ended at 8 p.m. Tuesday's committee ended at 7 p.m. And on Wednesday the committee ended at 6:30 p.m. In addition, I attended the HHS Committee of Reference (COR) hearing on Friday! COR meetings are for the House and Senate committees get together to hear the results of audits for various Boards and Agencies to determine if they should be continued. I thought the COR would take all day but because of a protest at the Capitol the Speaker closed the House at 12:30 p.m. That was my first full week of committees. Not too much good legislation to speak about this week. Mostly we voted on party lines. Hopefully legislation will get better as the session continues.

]]><![CDATA[My First Blog!]]>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:49:04 GMThttps://www.contrerasforaz.net/blog/my-first-blogI'm going to try something new and start a blog on my website! A constituent recently asked what accomplishments I could point to from last session and what I had on my agenda for this year. They also commented that I should have more updated information on my website. Well, here it is..my first post to keep you updated. This blog will likely be rambling and musings on what's happening at the legislature and with my race for Senate so I ask all you English teachers out there to be kind as I compose/post on the fly.

I am excited about my legislation for combatting Title Deed Fraud, HB2842! I have been working on this since I was elected to the legislature with a constituent who had her house stolen (it was her deceased father's home that was willed to her and her brother). Fortunately, she found out about the transaction early enough and had the financial means to fight the fraud and was ultimately able to get her house back. We want to stop these fraudulent transactions by having realtors and title companies report current transactions to the Department of Real Estate so they can verify the owners.

We have tried different tactics/legislation in previous sessions. Last session, my bill was heard and passed in the Government Committee but did not get any farther. This next session, I am confident that this new legislation will get through. We had a meeting with the chairman of the Government Committee and he has indicated a desire to move this important legislation.

Deed Fraud was not something that I had on my radar when I first went to the legislature. As you know from my website, I am interested in increasing funding for public schools (I have two sisters and now a niece who are public school educators); protecting the elderly from scams and abuses (I am on the Governor's Advisory Council for Aging and a representative on the legislature's Vulnerable Adults Study Committee); improving the economy to make it more affordable for families and young people; and protecting the environment. These are all popular issues with my colleagues who have introduced legislation which I have co-sponsored such as: free school meals, full-day kindergarten, school safety programs, accountability of the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA vouchers), workers rights, rent regulation, repealing the right to work statute, ensuring a woman's right to choose is not impeded by statutory restrictions still on the books, etc.

Last year, I co-sponsored nearly 90 bills with my colleagues which, unfortunately, didn't get very far in this Republican legislature. I haven't seen the latest tally, but I co-sponsored many bills again this session.

The bills I sponsored last session, and am championing again this session, are to extend TANF from 1-year to 5 years (HB2560) (it is my belief that one year is not enough time for families to get back on their feet after having a child and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families should be extended); to put a notice on rental contracts stating resources for tenants in case they get into financial trouble and can't pay their rent to prevent evictions (HB2565); to continue the appropriation for the Area Agencies on Aging to help seniors with housing and other needs (HB2561) (this I fought for in the budget process and got $7 million one-time funds); and additional regulations on short-term rentals (HB2566, HB2567, HB2568). I am also reintroducing HB2844 to audit the contracted state prison system. I would like to audit the system to ensure the incarcerated population in these facilities are getting adequate care, nutrition, exercise, and respectful treatment.

I think blogs are supposed to be shorter so I'll end for now.

In your service
Patty

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