Legislation aimed at preventing registered sex offenders from hiding their identities through court-ordered name changes has been signed into law.
House Bill 2223, sponsored by Prescott-area State Representative Quang Nguyen, closes a legal loophole that previously allowed some offenders to change their names without clearly alerting authorities or victims. Under the new law, individuals required to register as sex offenders must provide sworn disclosures during the name-change process, and prosecutors must be notified. The law also requires that victims are informed in eligible cases.
Even if a court approves a name change, official registration records will continue under the new name while retaining the original name as an alias.
The bill passed unanimously in both the state House and Senate.