House Bill 2223, sponsored by State Representative Quang Nguyen, was signed into law to close a loophole that allowed sex offenders to use court-approved name changes to obscure their identities and evade accountability. The new law, announced in Phoenix, strengthens public safety measures and ensures victims are notified when offenders seek to change their names through the courts.
“Sex offenders should not be able to change their name and slip through cracks that put Arizona families at risk,” Representative 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,” according to Nguyen.
The legislation tightens the name-change process by requiring sworn disclosures connected with sex offender registration and mandates notice be given to prosecutors. It also strengthens victim notification for eligible cases and ensures that if a registrant receives a court-approved name change, registration records continue under the new name while retaining the prior name as an alias.
The bill passed unanimously in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, receiving a 57-0 vote in the House in February before passing in the Senate last week.
Nguyen is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 1 in Yavapai County and is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. More information can be found on the official roster page. Nguyen was elected to represent Arizona’s 1st House District in 2021, replacing previous state representative Steve Pierce, according to the official roster page.
