The office of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) announced Monday that she had taken action on several more pieces of legislation.
Of the 13 bills on her desk, eight were on the receiving end of her veto stamp, including bills on pronouns in schools, election officials, and the Rio Verde Foothills (RVF) water solution.
SB 1001 – Pronouns
Up first is Senate Bill (SB) 1001 from Senator John Kavanaugh. Had this bill become law, a public school teacher or employee would be prohibited from referring to students under 18 by pronouns that do not align with their biological sex unless given written permission from the student’s parents. Additionally, a school could not force a teacher to refer to students or other employees by alternative pronouns if it violated their religious beliefs.
However, Hobbs said that this, or any bill with similar stipulations, would never receive her signature.
“As politicians across the country continue to pass harmful legislation directed at transgender youth, I have a clear message to the people of Arizona: I will veto every bill that aims to attack and harm children,” Hobbs wrote.
Yet, Kavanaugh said that Hobbs’s veto might cause harm, as he argued parents could be left out concerning information involving their children.
“Parents have a right to know if their children are in psychological turmoil. Parents also need to know if their children are confused, depressed, anxious, isolating themselves, having suicidal thoughts or are in need of mental health care because of gender dysphoria. Parents can’t get their children the counseling or therapy needed if their school is hiding this information from them,” said Kavanagh.
The lawmaker pointed to research conducted by the National Library of Medicine, which associated adolescent gender dysphoria with other psychiatric conditions like depression or suicidal thoughts. Kavanaugh said the bill would have ensured schools could not go against parents’ wishes when a child is dealing with gender dysphoria.
“For the Governor to turn a blind eye to what’s happening is reckless and irresponsible. I would expect more from a former social worker,” Kavanaugh concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Governor Vetoes Bill Aimed at Protecting Parental Rights and Mental Health of Arizona Kids ⬇️ @JohnKavanagh_AZ pic.twitter.com/xM2skYGtVi
— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) May 22, 2023
HB 2308 – Secretary of State
Another bill that did not make it was HB 2308 from Representative Rachel Jones (R-Tucson). It would have restricted the Arizona secretary of state (SOS) from “taking any actions that pertain to” an election if they were a candidate.
Jones said that bill was made in direct response to Hobbs serving as SOS and certifying the election which crowned her as governor. Jones argued the bill was about removing conflicts of interest, but Hobbs did not see it that way.
Instead, Hobbs wrote that there “is no reasonable basis to believe that Arizonans should not trust the Secretary of State to do their job impartially,” so she vetoed the bill.
“I would have thought she’d sign this to save face. Apparently not. Secretary of State Hobbs should have never run her own election. Another one of our good bills bites the dust,” Jones tweeted.
I would have thought she'd sign this to save face. Apparently not. Secretary of State Hobbs should have never run her own election. Another one of our good bills bites the dust.#vetoqueen https://t.co/2AQqMsez3K
— AZ Representative Rachel Jones (@RJ4arizona) May 21, 2023
HB 2441 – RVF Water
As The Arizona Sun Times reported, HB 2441, sponsored by Representative Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), would have forced the City of Scottsdale to restart allowing RVF community members to haul water from a city standpipe.
However, Hobbs vetoed the bill because it did not pass with a super majority, so it could not go into immediate effect, which would cause more delays in getting the people water.
Nonetheless, Hobbs said she is still willing to sign a relief bill for the RVF area, such as HB 2561 by Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale). This bill would also require the city to provide water to RVF, but it passed the House in May with supermajority support, meaning it is in line to go into effect immediately if the Senate can do the same. Hobbs also said she favors this bill because it contains language that addresses the reason RVF is in this situation, wildcat subdivision loopholes in Arizona’s law.
Signed – HB 2169 – Child Sex Dolls
However, the day was not all bad news for Republicans, as the House Majority Caucus shared with reporters Monday that Representative Quang Nguyen’s (R-Prescott) bill cracking down on anyone who uses a sex doll made to look like a child has been signed into law.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo “Senator John Kavanaugh” by Arizona State Legislature. Photo “Rachel Jones” by Rachel Jones for Arizona. Photo “Gail Griffin” by Arizona State Legislature. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
