After a full week of no public action at the Legislature, if you’re squinting at the buildings wondering what on earth they’re up to, you’re not alone. Last Monday marked the 120th day of what is ideally a 100-day legislative session, and the point at which lawmakers’ per diem pay gets slashed in half. The only thing left for them to complete is a budget agreement. But with just six weeks to go until lawmakers must pass a budget or see state government shut down, talks haven’t even started.
This week, Gov. Hobbs told a reporter that she and her staff “have yet to see what the Republican priorities are,” and that not only are the two sides nowhere close to a budget agreement, but they have not even begun meetings. Senate Appropriations Committee chair John Kavanagh (R-3) apparently felt stung by this, because a day later he assured a different reporter that House and Senate Republicans have actually reached a budget agreement — they just haven’t discussed it with Hobbs or her staff yet.
This is pretty hilarious. Republicans can reach all the agreements they want with themselves, but their budget can’t become law without the governor’s signature. If Hobbs hasn’t seen it and probably wouldn’t sign it if she did, their “agreement” isn’t worth squat.
It all seems to be hinging on a renewal of Prop 123, a measure to draw from the state land trust to fund public schools. As we’ve previously explained, Republicans are trying to hijack the measure by stuffing in constitutional protection for Arizona’s runaway ESA voucher program. Gov. Hobbs and Democratic lawmakers, along with public education advocates, want a “clean” renewal, with no gimmicks or voucher schemes. House members have planned to return to the floor on Tuesday, but cancelled the Monday press conference they’d already rescheduled to trumpet their unholy 123-voucher mashup. This is a likely sign they haven’t got the votes to pass their scheme. All eyes are on the House now, which is set to return to the floor on Tuesday. It's possible they’ll extend their vacation by gaveling in, announcing a new return date, and then promptly gaveling back out — continuing a dangerous game of chicken with the governor instead of working on a budget, which is their constitutionally mandated job.
We already know that sustained public pressure on lawmakers can be incredibly effective. We also hear that you all have been phenomenal at lighting up their phone lines over the last weeks. Keep up the calls demanding a “clean” school funding measure that truly funds public schools. It’s working! If you’ve already called, please call again. Let’s continue to leverage our collective voices to create a better outcome.
⏰ If you have 5 minutes: Directly contact Gov. Hobbs (602-542-4331 / engage@az.gov) in the “Hall of Shame” section below to tell her what you think. Being responsive and accountable to her base (us!) will improve her re-election chances for 2026.
⏰⏰ If you have 10 minutes: Also directly contact your state senator and representatives to demand they support only a clean renewal of Prop 123, one that contains no poison pills or voucher gimmicks. See last week’s Spotlight section for more info. If your reps are Democrats, thank them for their opposition and ask them to hold firm. If your reps are Republicans, tell them their scheme is unacceptable and they must correct course. If you’ve already done this, do it again! Sustained pressure is needed to make our voices heard.
⏰⏰⏰ If you have 20 minutes: Also directly contact Gov. Hobbs (602-542-4331 / engage@az.gov), along with your state senator and representatives, to oppose billionaire tax handout HB2704. See last week’s Spotlight section for more info and a list of specific lawmakers who need extra attention. Use these talking points: the bill raises our taxes, offers little public benefit & no accountability, and gives billionaires our hard-earned money. If you’ve already done this, do it again! Sustained pressure is needed to make our voices heard.
⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom for our next CEBV Happy Hour conversation. After our usual state legislative rundown, we’ll hear from Shu-Yen Wei, the Western Regional Director of Run For Something, who helps train and advise progressive under-40 candidates to win elected office. Happy Hour meets every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of legislative session. Sign up in advance here.
One of our tasks is to hold our allies accountable. This section calls out those who support harmful bills. We ask them to heed and do better.
👎 Gov. Katie Hobbs for signing HB2112 into law on Tuesday, May 13. Though the bill is being sold as a ban on under-18 Arizonans accessing online pornography, it is a censorship bill designed to attack content the extreme right doesn't like, such as on LGBTQ+, sex ed and reproductive rights. The broad language will effectively ban young people from accessing websites that contain information on HIV/AIDS, sex education and the LGBTQ+ community. LOOKOUT Magazine noted that the Project 2025 playbook on which HB2112 is modeled labels "transgender ideology" as pornographic, and says, “The move surprised many in Arizona’s queer community, who saw Hobbs as an ally.” Hobbs vetoed a similar measure last year over First Amendment concerns. She has not explained her decision to sign this year’s bill. Contact her at 602-542-4331 or engage@az.gov.
“I will veto every bill that aims to attack and harm children.”
— Gov. Hobbs in a 2023 veto letter
👎 Gov. Katie Hobbs for signing HB2201 into law on Monday, May 12, giving power companies new protections from lawsuits if their equipment starts a wildfire. Environmental protection groups dubbed it the “bill that lets APS burn your house down.” The new legal standard is harder to prove than in other civil cases and will in many cases leave injured homeowners on the hook for losses caused by utilities. APS, a major Hobbs donor, lobbied for the bill. Tests for the new legal standard are already under way: the Greer Fire, which may have been started by a utility transformer explosion, is growing exponentially, now burning 10,000 acres at 0% containment. Contact Hobbs at 602-542-4331 or engage@az.gov.
One of the highest-profile and most controversial bills of the session is brand-new to readers of this Weekly. HB2679 will allow utilities like APS to transfer their debt to low-interest bonds. This will allow them to shift financial liability from their shareholders to us, their customers, via a mandatory fee added to our monthly bills.
Attorney General Kris Mayes is calling the bill “a total candy store for the utilities.” Last month, she warned lawmakers that HB2679 may violate the state Constitution by infringing on the power of the Arizona Corporation Commission, the elected body that regulates our public utilities. Mayes should know: she used to serve as its chair.
APS wrote HB2679 and gave it to Gail Griffin (R-19) to sponsor. Hobbs signed it into law this week, just days after veteran journalist Howie Fischer reported that APS gave the Hobbs campaign a previously undisclosed $100,000 donation. (Like APS, its parent company, Pinnacle West, also has a long history of heavily bankrolling politicians to help elect those friendly to their interests.)
Though we haven’t covered HB2679 until now, we’re bringing it to your attention so you can thank all Senate Democrats for opposing it. They held firm in the face of incredible pressure from powerful and wealthy special interests, siding instead — as they should — with everyday voters and environmental and constitutional advocates. They held strong and met the moment properly (something we’re all wishing our political allies would do more often!), and we should celebrate them for it.
Even senators who have separated from their caucus this year to support bills CEBV opposes banded together and refused to vote for this one. We’re particularly grateful to those who voted for similar bill HB2201 (see “Hall of Shame” above) but saw the light on this bill and said no. Those senators are:
Lela Alston (D-5) • lalston@azleg.gov • 602-926-5829
Flavio Bravo (D-26) • fbravo@azleg.gov • 602-926-4033
Eva Diaz (D-22) • eva.diaz@azleg.gov • 602-926-3473
Brian Fernandez (D-23) • bfernandez@azleg.gov • 602-926-3098
Catherine Miranda (D-11) • cmiranda@azleg.gov • 602-926-3413
Kiana Sears (D-9) • ksears@azleg.gov • 602-926-3374
Please reach out and thank these state senators. They need to know we’re watching as they make not just poor choices, but also good ones.
This past week, Gov. Hobbs exercised her power to protect Arizonans from the following harmful, CEBV-opposed legislation. The number of bills she’s vetoed this year now stands at 137. (For comparison, her veto count was 143 bills in 2023 and 73 bills in 2024.)
Vetoed: Monday, May 12
SB1002 (Kavanagh, R-3) would have banned teachers from using a student’s chosen pronouns without written parental permission if they differ from the student's biological sex.
SB1003 (Kavanagh, R-3) would have banned trans kids from using the school bathrooms, changing facilities and “sleeping quarters” that align with their gender identities.
SB1020 (Rogers, R-7) would have prohibited universities and community colleges from banning anyone with a concealed weapons permit (not just students) from possessing, storing or transporting guns on campus.
SB1052 (Rogers, R-7) would have banned US citizens from registering to vote in Arizona if they have a parent who is a US citizen and who is registered to vote in Arizona, but they themselves have never lived in the US, disenfranchising voters and presenting constitutional concerns.
SB1088 (Hoffman, R-15) would have stripped Arizona of its local autonomy by forcing every state and local entity to unconditionally comply with federal deportation orders, even if they are unconstitutional, illegal, or inhumane.
SB1091 (Hoffman, R-15) would have required that ballots in school district bond and budget override continuation elections state how much voters' taxes would drop if they refused to pass the continuations. This is propaganda designed to discourage voters from supporting overrides in the name of "transparency."
SB1098 (Hoffman, R-15) would have required voters to show ID in order to drop off their early ballots or suffer a jaw-dropping class 5 felony, with penalties of up to 2.5 years in prison for a first offense.
SB1116 (Dunn, R-25) would have required the director of ADWR to fast-track developers’ applications for alternative groundwater models, allowing developers ways around laws that restrict construction in areas without adequate water supply.
SB1300 would have allowed farmers and ranchers to drill wells and pump unregulated water in San Simon Valley, Cochise County.
SB1463 (Mesnard, R-13) would have required initiative petitions to include a separate list, description and brief summary of existing statutes that “are likely to conflict with or be impacted by” the initiative, creating financial and logistical burdens on organizers and circulators.
SB1518 (Dunn, R-25) would have allowed irrigated grandfather rights to be sold or transferred, leading to more groundwater pumping.
SB1586 (Shamp, R-29) would have forced health care professionals to pay the medical costs for “gender detransitions” within 25 years of a procedure, harassing providers with fear-mongering and creating unnecessary obstacles for transgender people getting the same types of care that cisgender people do.
HB2274 (Griffin, R-19) would have called a special election for Willcox to decide whether to establish a domestic water improvement district, distracting from the underlying issue of overpumping and even exacerbating groundwater depletion.
HB2570 (Griffin, R-19) would have created a high bar for establishing temporary non-expansion areas that would limit new irrigated agriculture. Temporary measures like these do not constitute real action on our state’s groundwater crisis.
Vetoed: Tuesday, May 13
SB1036 (Kavanagh, R-3) would have allowed any Arizona resident to sue for a $5,000 reward if they thought cities, counties and school districts were using taxpayer dollars to convince voters to cast their ballots a certain way.
SB1097 (Hoffman, R-15) would have required public district schools to close on every regular primary and general election day, and to provide their gymnasiums for use as polling places upon request.
HB2206 (Taylor, R-29) would have limited Arizona's participation in ERIC, a multi-state system that weeds out duplicate, deceased or suspicious voter registrations.
HB2700 (Martinez, R-16) would have required state high school social studies graduation standards to contain "a specific focus on the Gulf of America," wasting students' time, requiring the purchase of new textbooks, and subjecting education to the fleeting whims of partisan politics.
HB2868 (Way, R-15) was a school district ban on “diversity, equity and inclusion” that would have negatively impacted student learning, as well as teacher retention and recruitment.
2025 Session Timeline
Monday, 6/30 Last day to pass a budget before state government shuts down
Flag this handy list of contact info, committee chairs and assignments:
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