An Arizona bill closing an identity loophole for criminals and sex offenders seeking name changes passed the state House unanimously on Feb. 18.
The bill fixes a loophole that could keep victims and law enforcement from knowing when offenders try to change their names in court.
It also ensures offenders cannot use a new name to avoid oversight or make it harder to track their registration.
“Sex offenders should not be able to change their name and slip through cracks that put Arizona families at risk,” state Republican Rep. Quang Nguyen, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement.
“Victims deserve to know when the person who harmed them is trying to change identities through the courts.”
Nguyen said the bill, now before the Senate, locks in accountability and ensures victims will not be left out of the process.
“If you are required to register, you will not use a name change to hide your past, dodge scrutiny, or erase your trail,” said Nguyen, chairman of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee.
The committee also passed the bill unanimously.
HB 2223 requires applicants to state under oath whether they have been convicted in any state of a crime requiring sex offender registration.
Applicants must also confirm under oath that they have submitted the application to the appropriate parties, according to Nguyen’s statement.
It said individuals convicted in Arizona must send their name-change application to the prosecutor’s office in the county of conviction.
The prosecutor’s office must then notify any victim who requested updates after the conviction about the name change request and inform them of their right to object.
The state must send the application to the prosecutor’s office in the state where they were convicted and to the county attorney where the application is filed.
If a court approves a name change for a registered person, the court must instruct them to register under the new name, list the previous name as an alias, and send a copy of the order to the sheriff in the person’s county of residence.
In August 2024, Arizona had about 143 registered sex offenders for every 100,000 residents, according to SafeHome.org.
The site also reported more than 795,000 individuals listed on sex offender registries nationwide at that time, an increase of 8,000 from 2023.
Texas had the highest number of registered sex offenders, the site added, with more than 75,000, representing nearly 10 percent of the national total.
