A. This article does not apply to:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 38-431.08

  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
  • commission: means any office, board or commission of the state, or any political subdivision thereof, the salary or compensation of the incumbent or members of which is paid from a fund raised by taxation or by public revenue. See Arizona Laws 38-101
  • Conference committee: A temporary, ad hoc panel composed of conferees from both chamber of a legislature which is formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controversial legislation.
  • Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

1. Any judicial proceeding of any court or any political caucus of the legislature.

2. Any conference committee of the legislature, except that all such meetings shall be open to the public.

3. The commissions on appellate and trial court appointments and the commission on judicial qualifications.

4. Good cause exception and central registry exception determinations and hearings conducted by the board of fingerprinting pursuant to sections 41-619.55 and 41-619.57.

B. A hearing held within a prison facility by the board of executive clemency is subject to this article, except that the director of the state department of corrections may:

1. Prohibit, on written findings that are made public within five days of so finding, any person from attending a hearing whose attendance would constitute a serious threat to the life or physical safety of any person or to the safe, secure and orderly operation of the prison.

2. Require a person who attends a hearing to sign an attendance log. If the person is over sixteen years of age, the person shall produce photographic identification that verifies the person’s signature.

3. Prevent and prohibit any articles from being taken into a hearing except recording devices and, if the person who attends a hearing is a member of the media, cameras.

4. Require that a person who attends a hearing submit to a reasonable search on entering the facility.

C. The exclusive remedies available to any person who is denied attendance at or removed from a hearing by the director of the state department of corrections in violation of this section shall be those remedies available in Section 38-431.07, as against the director only.

D. Either house of the legislature may adopt a rule or procedure pursuant to article IV, part 2, section 8, Constitution of Arizona, to provide an exemption to the notice and agenda requirements of this article or to allow standing or conference committees to meet through technological devices rather than only in person.