Arizona Representative Nguyen, Chairman of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee, said on Apr. 8 that HB 2223 has been signed into law to address concerns about sex offenders changing their names in order to evade monitoring and accountability. “Sex offenders should not be able to change their name and slip through cracks that put Arizona families at risk,” Nguyen said. “This bill closes a loophole and locks in accountability. Victims deserve to know when the person who harmed them is trying to change identities through the courts. If you are required to register, you will not use a name change to hide your past, dodge scrutiny, or erase your trail.”
The new law strengthens the process for legal name changes by requiring individuals subject to sex offender registration requirements to submit sworn disclosures during court proceedings and mandates notification of prosecutors about such requests. It also increases victim notification in eligible cases.
Under HB 2223, if a registered sex offender is granted a court-approved name change, state records will continue under both the new legal name and retain the previous one as an alias for tracking purposes.
The legislation received unanimous support in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature; it passed the House with a vote of 57-0 in February before moving through the Senate last week.
Representative Michael Carbone was elected as a Republican member of the Arizona State House in 2023 for District 25, replacing Michelle Udall according to Ballotpedia.
Lawmakers say this measure aims to close gaps that could allow registered sex offenders from avoiding oversight by changing their identities.
