On Nov. 8, Arizona voters approved Proposition 209 with 72% of the vote. The citizen-initiated measure is designed to reduce interest rates on debt accrued from receiving healthcare services, as well as increase the value of certain property and assets exempt from debt collection processes.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Blanchard signed a temporary restraining order preventing the enforcement of provisions of Proposition 209 on Dec. 8. Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to stop enforcement of the initiative. The plaintiffs include the Arizona Creditors Bar Association Inc. and the Protect Our Arizona PAC. An evidentiary hearing was scheduled to take place on Friday, December 16.
The lawsuit addressed the constitutionality of Proposition 209, specifically a savings clause-type provision that says that the law applies prospectively only, but that it does not apply to “right and duties that matured” before the effective date of the law.
