Following a worrying audit by the Arizona Auditor General, lawmakers Representative Walt Blackman and State Senator Janae Shamp are spearheading an overhaul of the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The pair has introduced mirror bills, Senate Bill 1021 and House Bill 2227, in response to findings of mismanagement and statutory violations by the Board.
According to the audit from December 2024, the Board was caught in the act of issuing subpoenas outside complaint parameters and engaging in uneven enforcement practices. The Arizona Auditor General's follow-up report, released on January 13, 2026, echoes these concerns, with none of the initial 28 recommendations for improvement being fully addressed. "These findings confirm what Arizona chiropractors and small business owners have been warning for years," Blackman stated, indicating that the time for legislative intervention is now, as obtained by an official statement.
Senator Shamp underscored the role of licensing boards in safeguarding the public, emphasizing that the Board had not only neglected its duty but also engaged in activities that ignored due process. In a statement drawn from an official release, Shamp remarked, “Professional licensing boards exist to protect the public, not to pursue unchecked investigations, ignore due process, or advance political agendas.”
Each bill, intended to be considered early in the legislative session, pushes for more clearly defined investigative authority, enforcement standards, and reporting obligations for the Board. The community of chiropractic professionals, having already cautioned Governor Katie Hobbs about the Board's overreach, showed support for the proposed changes, warning previously in a collective letter that the Board "has exceeded the powers granted to them by the Legislature," which led to significant damage to their businesses and reputations as relayed by a collective of Arizona chiropractic business owners and practicing doctors in a letter shepherded to the Governor's desk.
Framing a forward momentum, Blackman and Shamp call on their colleagues in the legislature to rectify the governance woes of the Board. With the Auditor General's continued findings of noncompliance, it seems a focused gaze onto the inner workings of regulatory bodies like the chiropractic board will remain a hot topic for Arizona lawmakers and practitioners alike.
