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Hobbs vetoes bill that banned ‘critical race theory’ in Arizona schools
Gov. Katie Hobbs has issued her 16th veto, nixing a bill that would have banned the teaching of critical race theory in Arizona schools. The measure, Senate Bill 1305, would have prohibited public K-12 schools in Arizona from a wide range of race-related instruction, including that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or […]
School notification bill could mean bullying for sex offender’s children, critics say
One proponent of a bill in the Arizona legislature that would require sex offenders to notify their child’s school of their sex offender status says that a parent’s right to know trump’s that child’s right not to be ostracized or bullied. The proposal, which was passed in the Senate 16-13, would require a registered sex […]
Dems call for censure, file ethics complaint against Liz Harris over ‘defamatory’ hearing
Democrats and Republicans are striking starkly different tones about a presentation arranged by a first-year GOP lawmaker last month that included wild conspiracy theories about a host of elected officials being bought off by a Mexican drug cartel. On March 6, Democrats called for a censure of Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler, and have filed a […]
Senate passes bill to cut unemployment benefits
Senate Republicans want to slash the number of weeks an individual can receive unemployment payments and tie the length of benefit availability to the unemployment rate, but critics say that even if jobs are plentiful, it can still be a long process to find a good one. Currently, Arizonans who qualify for unemployment can receive […]
Kari Lake asks Supreme Court to take up her case to overturn the 2022 election
Kari Lake, the failed Republican candidate for governor, has asked the Arizona Supreme Court to review the decisions in her election contest case after the case was shot down by both the Maricopa County Superior Court and Arizona Court of Appeals. “The undisputed facts, and the violations of law, show that Maricopa’s 2022 election must […]
House Republicans pass bill that could codify fetal personhood
Arizona has moved one step closer to what critics say is a sneaky attempt to add fetal personhood into state law in a way that would avoid a federal court ruling that blocked a straightforward personhood law passed two years ago. Republican Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, has introduced five pregnancy-related bills this year that […]
Arizona Senate Democrats will pick new leaders after two step aside
The Arizona Senate Democratic caucus is headed for a complete overhaul in leadership. Senate Minority Leader Raquel Terán of Phoenix and Senate Minority Caucus Whip Rosanna Gabaldón of Sahuarita both announced Feb. 28 that they were stepping down from their leadership positions this week. Terán is backing down from leadership to explore a run for […]
Arizona GOP legislators continue to give oxygen to disproven election conspiracies
Arizona legislative Republicans are continuing their parade of ever-more dubious election conspiracy theorists spreading unproven claims in legislative hearings, even after a report from the Republican former Attorney General’s office showed that all of the 2020 election fraud theories it investigated were baseless. Since early January, the Republican-controlled elections committees in both the state House […]
Arizona Senate passes ‘born alive’ abortion bill
Republicans want health care workers to provide life-saving care for all babies born alive, taking aim at abortion, but critics say a bill passed by the Arizona Senate could mandate the torture of premature babies who have no chance of survival. While the Republican behind the legislation, Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, said it was about […]
Proposed bill would make suspending kindergarteners easier
Some legislators and school officials want to pull back a law that makes it more difficult to suspend the state’s youngest elementary school students. That 2021 law banned the suspension of students in kindergarten through fourth grade, unless they were at least seven years old and their behavior reached a certain threshold, like bringing a […]
Bill would provide oversight, nix bed limits at Arizona State Hospital
The Arizona State Hospital, which cares for some of the state’s most vulnerable people, is subject to oversight by the Arizona Department of Health Services, the same organization that runs it. Lawmakers say that should be changed. Instead, state legislators on Feb. 14 unanimously advanced a proposal to create an independent board to oversee the […]
Senate Republicans put Hobbs’ choice to lead Administration Dept on hold
After a morning of dogged questioning, the confirmation of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ pick to lead the state’s largest agency stalled after a top Republican said that the nominee didn’t speak “honestly and truthfully” to the state Senate’s Director Nominations Committee. Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Queen Creek Republican and chairman of the newly formed Nominations Committee, […]