In general, if you pay a traffic ticket you are admitting guilt to the traffic violation. The conviction for the offense then goes on your driving record. According to the Arizona DOT Motor Vehicle Division points list, 3 points are assigned to speeding tickets in AZ. So both the conviction of the speeding ticket and 3 points would be placed on your husband's motor vehicle record (MVR) if he pays the fine instead of taking traffic school.

In Arizona each time you are convicted or forfeit bail for a moving traffic violation, points are assessed against your permanent driving record. If you accumulate 8 or more points in any 12-month period, you may be required to attend Traffic Survival School (TSS), or your driving privilege may be suspended up to 12 months. 

It sounds as if the court has offered your husband the Defensive Driving Program (DDP). This is a court-administered program that presents traffic safety classes for people who have received a traffic violation and wish to have it dismissed through the completion of a class. The goals of the Defensive Driving Program are to educate drivers and to divert civil traffic cases from the court system, while still providing a sanction, or penalty, for violating traffic laws.

Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S. 28-3391 through 3399) are in regards to the DDP. Statute 28-3394 specifically states that if an eligible individual successfully completes the course at a defensive driving school the court shall dismiss the civil or criminal traffic citation for which the individual attended the school. Also the AZ MVD shall not include a record of the civil or criminal traffic citation for which the individual attended the school on the individuals driving record.

So if your husband chose to go to the defensive driving traffic school instead of paying the ticket he would be able to keep the traffic violation off of his driving record and keep the points from being assigned. If he doesn't take the course then the tickets goes on his record and will be seen the next time your insurance company pulls his MVR. Depending upon your insurer's rating system it could affect your insurance premiums.