The ‘Secure the Border Act’ will make it onto the November ballot for Arizonans after the Maricopa County Superior Court shot down a lawsuit from activist groups challenging its legality.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs carefully measured her words of support for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, as polls show the president could potentially dash her hopes of a Democratic trifecta in swing-state Arizona.
“That’s up to the president,” was her answer when asked Monday morning in Phoenix about whether Biden should drop out of the race.
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Arizona veterans organizations can now apply for grants through the state’s Department of Veterans Services.
The application for the Veterans’ Donation Fund reopened on July 1 and is intended for 501(c) groups seeking $4,999 or less in state assistance. The state also sometimes doles out more significant veteran-related grants ranging from $5,000-75,000, but that application is currently closed.
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The opioid settlement funds headed to the Arizona corrections system are legal, according to a judge’s ruling on Monday.
The part of the budget that would divert $115 million in total to support the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry with what’s outlined as substance abuse treatment. Although the original legal action from Attorney General Kris Mayes resulted in a temporary restraining order for the funds to be transferred, this recent decision from the Maricopa County Superior Court scrapped that.
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Attorney General Kris Mayes is asking Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell to take a step back from possibly investigating an alleged “pay for play” scheme involving Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sunshine Residential Homes.
Mayes’ criminal division has an investigation open, but the Auditor General’s Office and Mitchell are also coordinating a possible investigation after the auditor general reached out to Mitchell’s office.
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Arizona’s top law enforcement official has opened a criminal probe into corruption allegations involving Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs and donations from a group home business.
Attorney General Kris Mayes notified the Legislature that she had received a criminal referral from a GOP lawmaker involving allegations with Sunshine Residential Homes and had agreed to open a probe.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has “Executive Deputy Directors” running state agencies, lost in court on Wednesday. Hobbs has used the tactic to avoid more nominees being rejected by the Republican-led Senate Committee on Director Nominations.
The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County said the current leaders of these agencies are “de facto” and “in violation of Arizona law.” Thirteen agency leaders are considered EDDs; however, Hobbs is not obligated to give nominations for directors to the committee just yet as arguments on that will be in late July or early August, according to Capitol Media Services.
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Arizona lawmakers passed the “Secure the Border Act” on Tuesday, and it will now head to the ballot. It passed with 31 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting along party lines.
The resolution will be on the ballot for voters to have the final say on the act, which includes proposals ranging from making illegally crossing the border a state crime to stronger laws related to illicit fentanyl and e-verify. The Tucson sector is considered a hotbed for migrant encounters, according to federal government data.
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A Wednesday report revealed the existence of a “group chat” that includes eight female Democratic governors, including Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who befriended other influential Democrats including Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
The gubernatorial group chat additionally includes Governors Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Tina Kotek of Oregon, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Janet Mills of Maine, according to the 19th News report.
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Alex Soros, the son of Hungarian-American financier George Soros, confirmed in a Tuesday posts to social media that he attended the 2024 Sedona Forum held by the McCain Institute in Arizona and discussed former President Donald Trump with at least one high profile attendee.
The theme the McCain Institute chose for the 2024 Sedona Forum was “Securing Our Insecure World,” and a website for the event claims speakers and attendees “examined the greatest challenges to democracy, human rights, and global security,” while panel topics included “challenges posed to by autocracies to the international order and U.S. values and interests.”
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Democratic governors are vetoing election integrity legislation passed by Republican-led state legislatures, despite allegations, investigations, and convictions of election fraud occurring across the U.S. Those convictions require proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the crime, in fact, occurred.
Over the last few months, Democratic governors in Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin have vetoed legislation that Republican-led state legislatures passed to help secure elections, arguing that their concerns are unfounded or their solutions unnecessary. However, there has been recent election fraud investigations and convictions in those states that led to the passing of the legislation.
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs received rebukes from State Representative Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne after she used her veto power to block legislation that limited the use of smartphones in classrooms.
“There is a growing body of research that clearly links the use of wireless devices like cell phones to increased negative social harms among our youth,” said Pingerelli, who chairs the House Committee on Education and introduced HB 2793 to curtail phone use in schools.
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Arizona U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva will reportedly remain in Arizona while he receives treatment following his recent cancer diagnosis.
Grijalva disclosed that he had cancer on April 2, revealing the discovery was made after he sought treatment for a persistent cough. The congressman did not reveal any medical details about his diagnosis, including the type of cancer and stage, but acknowledged that it “has been difficult to process.”
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced her appointment of Christina Estes-Werther to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission on Friday, confirming the former member of her Elections Task Force will be the first new member of the commission since 2017.
Hobbs confirmed the appointment in a press release, with her office noting Estes-Werther “served as deputy general counsel for Governor Jan Brewer, state elections director under Secretary of State Ken Bennett, and as a member of the Bipartisan Elections Task Force established by Governor Hobbs in 2023.”
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill on Friday of galactic proportions.
“Pluto is the official state planet,” House Bill 2477 simply states.
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Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs addressed possible concerns about lower than requested funding in the spending deal signed by President Joe Biden last week.
Hobbs, as well as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, welcomed the news of $650 million being allocated toward the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Shelter and Services Program, The Center Square reported. However, the trio first asked for $752 million to go toward the fund, as it ends up being distributed.
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Student gun rights would be protected under pending Arizona legislation to legalize campus carry.
State Sen. Wendy Rogers (pictured), a Flagstaff Republican, brought up the recent murder of Georgia college student Laken Riley and problems with illegal immigration as some of the reasons why Senate Bill 1198 is important.
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs asked Congress on Wednesday to support a request by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to provide more than $750 million in funding to support the southern border.
While Hobbs urged the U.S. Congress to take action on the border, her letter came after she vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have made it a state crime to enter Arizona outside official ports of entry.
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U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., now has the backing on Gov. Katie Hobbs and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly in his bid for U.S. Senate.
The endorsements come after Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced last week she’s retiring at the end of the year and not seeking re-election. If she decided to run, it would have set up an unusual three-way race between two major parties and an incumbent. Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs launched a program on Monday aimed at “buying back” medical debt with taxpayer dollars distributed by the federal government.
The program is called “Affordable Arizona: Tackling Medical Debt for Working Families” and it is a public-private partnership between the state of Arizona and RIP Medical Debt, a national nonprofit.
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Although Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs could end up making the final call of the legislation, making some fentanyl-related deaths a felony murder charge is one step closer to becoming law in Arizona.
The bill passed the Senate 18-10-2, with Democratic Sens. Christine Marsh and Catherine Miranda voting in favor of the legislation on Thursday.
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Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs will once again have a cottage food bill on her desk this year, and she seems bound to sign it this time around.
House Bill 2042, sponsored by State Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, passed the House of Representatives unanimously on Thursday, and it was then transmitted to the State Senate for a vote.
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An email surfaced by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) on Tuesday revealed Governor Katie Hobbs used government resources to facilitate a volunteer force that flagged “misinformation” ahead of the 2022 election, including on Election Day.
The legal organization explained that it revealed the email through an Arizona Public Records Law request to the Arizona Secretary of State which requested communications between Hobbs’ office and social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram between January 7, 2019 and January 1, 2023.
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Arizona continues to see job growth while unemployment remains slightly higher than the national average.
The state saw 8,100 nonfarm jobs increase from November to December, and year-over-year saw 64,800 nonfarm jobs added, according to a non-seasonally adjusted figure.
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Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority is not pleased with Gov. Katie Hobbs’ budget proposal.
The proposal suggests $33 million for the state’s Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund, as documents from the government’s office suggest that it would “continue investments in long-term water supply development initiatives for the state.”
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The Arizona Freedom Caucus, parents, and activists rallied on Monday at the Arizona Capitol Lawn against the plan recently unveiled by Governor Katie Hobbs (D) they warned would “dismantle” Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), the popular school choice program that boasts more than 70,000 students. Organizers planned the rally to coincide with the first day of the 2024 legislative session in Arizona.
Arizona Freedom Caucus founder Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), who spoke at the rally, told The Arizona Sun Times, “I have a message for Katie Hobbs on behalf of the Arizona Freedom Caucus and every legislative Republican: your attempt to destroy educational opportunities for more than 74,000 Arizona children is dead on arrival at the legislature.”
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Multiple Arizona lawmakers and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne have pushed back on the plan by Governor Katie Hobbs to place heavy restrictions on the state’s popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.
Hobbs on Wednesday revealed her plan to place a series of new restrictions on the ESA program, including new state requirements for private school educators and schools, additional scrutiny for ESA contracts before funds are dispersed, a ban on “price gouging,” “minimum standards” for schools, which would apparently be set by the state, and modified eligibility requirements for students, among other new requirements and reforms.
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As migrants pour into the U.S. illegally, Mexican cartels are using smartphones to facilitate their smuggling, making payments to drivers and manipulating the Customs and Border Protection app to get more people in.
The CBP One app allows entrants to the United States to schedule appointments to appear at U.S. ports of entry.
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The Prison Oversight Commission created by Governor Katie Hobbs (D) in January reportedly lacks the “teeth” necessary to enact change, a former Arizona lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Former Arizona State Representative Walt Blackman, a Republican who represented Snowflake until 2023, said the volunteer commission on which he serves, established by Hobbs on January 25, lacks the “teeth” necessary to mandate and enforce policy changes in Arizona’s prisons, according to Arizona Capitol Times.
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Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday deployed the National Guard to the southern border amid the unprecedented surge in illegal immigrant arrivals under the Biden administration.
She further pleaded with Washington to send further aid, admonishing the Biden administration for not responding to her request for $512 million to reimburse the state for border security expenses it had already incurred.
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Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Friday that troops would be deployed to the southern border after her requests for help from the White House fell on deaf ears.
The governor signed an executive order to allow the troops to assist state and local law enforcement interdict fentanyl and human trafficking attempts, Hobbs said in her statement. Hobbs asked President Joe Biden Dec. 8 to reassign National Guard members already in Arizona, provide additional reinforcements to help reopen the Lukeville Port of Entry and reimburse the $512,529,333 the state has spent on migrant transportation, drug interdiction and law enforcement.
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Former Department of Homeland Security advisor Charles Marino said on Tuesday that Governor Katie Hobbs (D) should have done more to address the migrant crisis prior to the federal government’s closure of the Lukeville Point of Entry.
Marino, a security expert who advised the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2009 until 2011, made the remarks to John Fredericks on the “Outside the Beltway” program on Real America’s Voice. Fredericks, who is the publisher of The Virginia Star and The Georgia Star News, asked Marino about Arizona’s response to the 17,000 illegal immigrants officials apprehended in Tucson over just one week.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is pushing the federal government to reassign National Guard troops and reimburse the state government for border-related expenses.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Hobbs is requesting that the 243 National Guard troops already on federal orders in the Tucson Sector be redirected to helping with the Lukeville Port of Entry’s reopening.
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) signed a petition on Tuesday that calls for a public referendum to allow Arizonans to vote on whether to enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitution.
In remarks made before the media ahead of signing the petition, Hobbs claimed the abortion referendum is “about women’s ability to wholly participate and thrive in our society and our economy.”
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As the semiconductor industry expands in Arizona, the state continues to work toward developing enough in-state talent.
Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that the state would be investing $4 million into registered semiconductor apprenticeships, which includes a partnership with NXP Semiconductors.
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Attorney General Kris Mayes wants to propose red flag laws, but Republican lawmakers say it will not stand a chance in the Legislature.
The laws Mayes wants would be targeted toward those who would be determined to be a risk to the safety of schools, according to Arizona’s Family. The report said that Mayes would be proposing legislation that would also allow firearms belonging to adults could be targeted if there is evidence that a minor in their household poses a risk of misusing those weapons.
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The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature joined the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in a joint press release on Wednesday in response to a recent social media post by Governor Katie Hobbs (D). In her post, the governor claimed Arizona’s popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program was unsustainable and called for it to be restricted.
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R), Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria), and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) issued a press release defending the state’s education voucher program after Hobbs called it “unaccountable and unsustainable” in a statement posted to X.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed frustration with the federal government on its handling of the border crisis in a meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week.
On Monday morning, Hobbs went into her conversation with the immigration head, in which she asked for increased federal support. When The Center Square asked about issues at Arizona ports of entry, Hobbs said it was part of the conversation.
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The Hobbs administration suggests that Treasurer Kimberly Yee violated state law by refusing to recognize agency-based board members at a State Board of Investment meeting on Tuesday.
Yee did not acknowledge the employees from two departments in response to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ decision to pull all of her agency director picks from Senate consideration in order to avoid dealing with the Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations, which the governor dubbed hyper-partisan in nature, The Center Square reported.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is cleaning up old executive orders from the COVID-19 pandemic under former Gov. Doug Ducey.
The governor announced Tuesday afternoon that she’d rescinded 14 orders that were largely moot because of subsequent legislation or measures her administration had taken.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an executive order that pulls prosecutorial authority away from counties looking to enforce the state’s abortion laws. Critics are calling the move an overstep of authority.
The executive order has four main points to protect abortion.
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Arizona Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill earlier this week that would have stopped transgender students in public schools from using a bathroom that didn’t match their biological sex.
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by Lauren Scott Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on June 2 more than $25 million in border security awards for Yuma, Somerton, and Wellton Counties, and the Cocopah Indian Tribe. The funds will upgrade communications equipment, expand vehicle fleets, and hire additional personnel. They will allow local law enforcement to do their jobs more efficiently. Hobbs made the announcement during a press conference at Somerton City Hall in south Yuma County. “This funding will allow these cities to invest in meaningful technological support and ensure they have the tools needed to effectively manage the border,” Hobbs said at the news conference. The funding comes amid increased border crossings in the weeks after President Joe Biden ended Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic-era rule allowing asylum seekers and others to be turned away at the border. Yuma Chief of Police Thomas Garrity said this grant will deliver professional services to the community. The City of Somerton thanked Hobbs on Twitter “for helping secure vital funding for our Police Department.” Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said the funding would upgrade their current radio system. The Cocopah Indian Tribe posted on its Facebook page, “Of the combined total of $25 million, Cocopah will receive $2.3 million for critical equipment the Cocopah…
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Arizona’s universal school choice program is estimated to see significant growth over the next fiscal year to 100,000 students with a price tag of $900 million. Opponents of the program say its cost will bankrupt the state but others say the expense will be offset.
In complying with state law, the Arizona Department of Education offered the Joint Legislative Budget Committee its annual estimate on what it would need to fund empowerment scholarship accounts for the upcoming fiscal year. With nearly 58,000 students already enrolled in the program, ADE projects the program will grow to 100,000 students in fiscal year 2024 at a cost of $900 million.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday vetoed legislation that would have outlawed red-light cameras in Arizona.
In her veto message of Senate Bill 1234, Hobbs said “local leaders and law enforcement officers across the state” reached out to her about the effect photo radar enforcement has had on road safety.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs is pulling back a $50 million federal grant allocated by former Gov. Doug Ducey that paid for full-day kindergarten for students using Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.
Hobbs announced on May 24 Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts are invalid under the purpose of the American Rescue Plan Act, thus the state can’t spend ARPA funds on it.
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A bipartisan House Bill (HB) is headed to Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk, which aims to crack down on a disturbing trend of sex dolls that resemble children.
Under HB 2169, one of these objects is defined as a “doll, mannequin or robot” that has “the features of or features that resemble those of an infant or a child who is under 12 years old” and is “intended to be used for sexual stimulation or gratification.”
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The City of Bisbee released a statement Monday outlining what it is currently doing to prepare for the expiration of Title 42 on Thursday, which is expected to cause a mass influx of immigrants seeking to enter the country across the southern border.
“The Mayor [Ken Budge] and City Staff met with Cochise County Emergency Management staff and the leadership of the [Customs and Border Patrol] CBP Brian Terry Station today,” the city shared. “We were briefed on the resources that are expected to be available to handle immigrants moving forward from local, state and federal agencies. The emphasis is on moving these now-legal immigrants from the border to their final locations or sheltering them in places that can handle a large flow of immigrants.”
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Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern (R-Glendale) released a statement Wednesday, calling out the resignation of Catherine Sigmon from the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments (MCCTCA) after finding troubling information about her.
“After reviewing the Constitutional requirements for the Commission on Trial Court Appointments, two big factors jump out at me,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Kern. “First, the Commission is to be non-partisan. Second, the Commission’s primary task is to recommend qualified judge candidates to the Governor for appointment.”
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As part of Gov. Katie Hobbs’s (D) latest record-setting batch of vetoes, SB 1091, by State Senator Anthony Kern (R-Glendale), was rejected despite passing through the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support.
“Helping to ensure inmates get back on their feet and become productive members of society after their release is massively important,” said Kern. “This bill would have really improved the transition process and 70 other lawmakers agreed. Unfortunately, the Governor didn’t take the time to fully understand it.”
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