Partisan lines have been drawn over the Arizona Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025.
Late last week, Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs released her second budget for the Grand Canyon State. In a statement accompanying the announcement, Hobbs said, “Arizonans are counting on us to make the state we call home the best place to live, work, and raise a family. We made incredible progress during my first year in office, and my Executive Budget proposal builds on this foundation and expands opportunities for every Arizonan to reach their full potential. We are cutting out the wasteful taxpayer spending while making critical investments that will help middle class families buy a home, expand access to childcare, make prescription drugs more affordable, and protect disabled Arizonans and seniors. This is what it looks like to invest in our communities and build a state that works for every Arizonan.”
🧵 I just released the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget – a balanced appropriation that reduces overall spending while investing boldly in affordability, health & safety, and preserving our natural resources. Please read about it below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Cbsyj9gEXt
Legislative Republicans were quick to come out in opposition to the governor’s proposal. Senate Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh wrote, “These elements in her proposal are dead on arrival with the Republican Majority. Her grandstanding of bipartisanship during her State of the State Address is a far cry from the reality of this budget proposal, as her funding cuts strictly target Republican priorities.”
House Appropriations Chairman David Livingston added, “Like last year’s proposal, the governor’s budget is an unserious mess. Her revenue and enrollment predictions don’t reflect reality, and her solution to the deficit proposes cuts to K-12 and water investments. We understand most of this is meant to appeal to her base. When she is willing to engage more seriously, Republicans are ready.”
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨 The Legislature Will Not Raise Taxes or Cut School Choice, as the Governor’s Budget Proposes
“Like last year’s proposal, the governor’s budget is an unserious mess,” stated House Appropriations Chairman David @Livingston4AZ . “Her revenue and enrollment… pic.twitter.com/XGPvBcwHSS
Hobbs’ allies in the Arizona Legislature supported her proposal. House Democratic Leader Lupe Contreras released a statement, saying, “We applaud the Governor for producing a budget that protects the priorities that will drive our state forward and that our caucus has consistently championed for our communities – public education, affordable housing, childcare for working families and vital services for the most vulnerable Arizonans. She is listening and leading.”
The Senate Democrat Caucus posted, “This budget is a good first step in providing Arizona families with assistance in affording the high costs of childcare, housing, and prescription medications.”
Today, Governor Hobbs released her FY2025 Executive Budget. This budget is a good first step in providing Arizona families with assistance in affording the high costs of childcare, housing, and prescription medications.
In the inaugural week of the 2024 legislative session, Republicans and Democrats took political shots at one another over the budget in anticipation of the governor’s proposal. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen accused his Democrat counterparts of “refusing to come to the table for budget negotiations,” threatening that his caucus might have to move on without them. The Senate Democrats Caucus clapped back at the Republican chamber leader, asserting that he had “moved forward on every other budget without Democrats, so this newest attempt at grandstanding falls flat.”
The early back-and-forth between the two political parties follows Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs’ second State of the State address, where she called on legislators to “find common ground” and to “work together to solve this gap.”
Both parties have vastly differing approaches to solving the state’s budget shortfall, though their rhetoric is somewhat similar at the start of the legislative session. In the Senate Republicans’ Majority Plan for 2024, they vowed to complete this mission “without irresponsibly tapping into the Rainy-Day Fund or using budget gimmicks,” promising instead to “use sound fiscal management strategies, like trimming unnecessary spending and prioritizing government’s top functions.” Hobbs stated that her soon-to-be-released budget would “rein in wasteful spending without sacrificing public safety and public education, establish guardrails on unaccountable programs without hurting hard-working families, and tighten our collective belts through increased efficiencies and innovation without gutting programs that support small businesses, seniors, and those in need.”
Last year, House and Senate Republicans approved a budget that was vetoed by Hobbs. Despite many partisan fights in the public eye between Republicans and the governor, Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma deftly managed a surprise budget compromise, in which their policy priorities remained largely intact. Hobbs will be under increased pressure this time around to extract more concessions from Republicans – especially over the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona’s State Treasurer is helping children to prioritize saving in the new year.
Earlier this week, Arizona State Treasurer, Kimberly Yee, released “seven practical tips to help parents and caregivers teach children how to save and realize goals for the future instead of focusing on what they think they need now.”
The seven tips were as follows:
1. Walk the Talk: Talk about what you are saving for and what sacrifices you make for retirement, vacations, their college, etc. and demonstrate that – take them with you to the bank when you make a deposit or show them how you do it on your phone or laptop for online banking.
2. Match It: Reward good savings habits by matching savings and further encouraging kids to delay gratification by saving for what they really want.
3. Make it Fun: Turn conversations about saving and college into games and crafts to keep it hands-on. Painting your own piggy bank would be the perfect time to talk about dream jobs and how to prepare and save to get there.
4. Jump Start College/Career Savings: Give children a boost with saving for their future education by setting-up a tax-deductible AZ529 Education Savings Plan. Contributions from parents, grandparents, relatives and family friends provide a jump-start for their littlest loved ones and inspires them to contribute as well.
5. Hands On Saving: Provide an allowance with rules attached for saving and spending, but make sure they earn the allowance – don’t just give them money for no reason.
6. Let them Fail: Allowing kids/teens to make a few minor financial failures when they are young can help them avoid major failures as they become adults. Missing a phone payment and losing their phone for a week would be something a teen won’t soon forget.
7. Celebrate Success: Track results and share progress with your child to help motivate them in their studies and savings and know your expectations for their future. Make a chart and when they reach a milestone, find a way to celebrate that doesn’t involve spending time together instead of money.
Yee serves as the Chairwoman of the AZ529 Plan Advisory Committee. According to its website, this committee “assists the Treasurer’s Office in promoting and raising awareness of the AZ529 Plan in accordance with A.R.S. § 41-179.” The Arizona 529 Plan “is a college savings plan named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code sponsored by the State of Arizona,” and “is designed to provide a parent, grandparent, or anyone else an opportunity to save for a child’s educational dreams within a tax-deferred savings vehicle.”
Late last year, the “X” account for the Arizona Education Savings Plan announced that “under the leadership of Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, 33,632 529 accounts have been opened in the last 37 months,” and that “assets are up 16.6% in that same time frame to $1.89 billion.”
Under the leadership of Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, 33,632 @AZ_529 accounts have been opened in the last 37 months. Assets are up 16.6% in that same time frame to $1.89 billion.
In 2023, the Arizona Education Savings Plan was upgraded to a ‘silver’ rating by Morningstar, which “reflected a superior investment team and/or investment process that should benefit the participants.”
ICYMI: @AZ_529, Arizona's Education Savings Plan was named one of the best 529 plans of 2023! The AZ529 Plan was upgraded to a Silver-rating by Morningstar, reflecting our commitment to effective and diversified education savings.
Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction is holding the state’s schools accountable for educating students about the Holocaust.
Last week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced that he requested “all Arizona district and charter schools report their compliance with state law that requires students to be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides.”
Arizona passed a Holocaust Education bill sponsored by @almaforarizona in 2021, and with the rise of antisemitism on campuses across the state, Superintendent Horne wants to know that students are learning about the horrors of the Holocaust. https://t.co/UHBPV9pNkU
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) January 10, 2024
In a statement that accompanied his news release, Horne said, “During the past three months we have learned all-too-well how many people are ignorant about the realities of the Holocaust and other genocides of history. We have heard about pro-Hamas and anti-American propaganda being spread in a high school student club, students being intimidated because of their ethnicity, and we have seen pro-Hamas protests on college campuses.”
The Republican superintendent expressed his gratitude for the law granting his office the ability to hold schools accountable for the statutory teaching of this educational material. He added, “Expressions of hatred like this are unacceptable in an educational setting and a powerful way to combat this scourge is with learning. Students would not be vulnerable to antisemitic propaganda if they had received proper Holocaust instruction. I’m grateful state law exists to require instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides, and it is important to ensure that districts and charter schools are in compliance.”
The law that the state’s schools chief referenced was HB 2241, which was passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed into law by then-Governor Doug Ducey. The bill was sponsored by Alma Hernandez, a Democrat. It passed both chambers with almost unanimous support. Ducey, in his letter to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, informed her that he was signing the legislation to “ensure that we continue to teach our students the history of past atrocities, which in return will instill greater compassion, critical thinking, societal awareness, and educational growth in our students.”
Horne’s deadline for Arizona schools to report to the state Department of Education is January 24. He informed schools that his department “provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting House Bill 2241.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona’s leading Republican lawmakers are again joining state attorneys general on another matter of national importance.
Last week, the Arizona State Senate Caucus revealed that President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma had joined an amicus brief to urge “the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a dangerous ruling out of Colorado” that had barred “former President Donald Trump from the GOP primary ballot in the 2024 presidential election.” The filing was led by the States of Indiana and West Virginia and joined by 25 additional states, as well as the Arizona Legislature.
🚨 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: President @votewarren Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Dangerous Ruling Threatening to Throw 2024 Presidential Election into Chaos ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/npHp2nBvor
In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Petersen said, “If the high court does not immediately act, we anticipate election chaos will ensue over former President Trump’s eligibility as a candidate. This is clearly a case of judicial activism and a violation of the separation of powers. Leftist bias and prejudice are on full display from the Colorado Supreme Court. These justices are only playing partisan games by recklessly feeding a false media narrative that seeks to disenfranchise voters. I’m confident the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down this dangerous attack on our democracy.”
Petersen’s news release called the Colorado State Supreme Court’s decision to bar Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution “an egregious abuse of power,” asserting that America’s governing document “reserves the power to determine the political question of what constitutes an ‘insurrection’ to Congress – not rogue courts.”
Shortly after the brief was transmitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the challenge was scheduled for arguments before the nation’s high court in early February.
The legislators’ sign-on to this brief marks the second time they have joined Republican attorneys general on their legal filings in 2024. At the start of the year, Senate Republicans shared that the Arizona Legislature had joined an amicus brief in federal court to help challenge California’s Assault Weapon Control Act. That brief was led by the attorneys general of Idaho, Iowa, and Montana, and co-signed by almost two dozen additional states.
In December, Petersen and Toma joined a public comment letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to address its newly proposed rule, Definition of “Engaged in the Business as a Dealer in Firearms.” That letter was led by the States of Kansas, Iowa, and Montana, and co-signed by 22 other attorneys general.
Over the past month, the two Republican legislative leaders have signaled a more aggressive shift in taking the reins from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to defend the law and Constitution. Attorneys general are not usually joined by outside parties on their amicus briefs, yet multiple coalitions of Republican state prosecutors have included Petersen and Toma on these major filings.
Both Majority Plans released by Senate and House Republicans preview their commitment to aggressively weigh in on state and federal litigation to defend the interests of Arizonans and uphold the rule of law. Senate Republicans wrote that they “firmly believe in the rule of law and will continue to defend state laws, especially when our Attorney General refuses to do so. We will also continue to seek appropriate relief through the courts to serve as a necessary check on abuses of executive authority at both the state and federal levels.” House Republicans added that “under the Biden administration, our constitutional rights and individual liberties are under daily threat…this complete disregard for the Constitution will not be tolerated. House Republicans will always protect rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona legislative Republicans are warning against unilateral action from the state’s governor on water policy.
On Monday, Governor Katie Hobbs spent time in her second State of the State address to discuss the importance of water for Arizona and her past and future work on this front. Hobbs said, “Let us remember that water and drought do not care about party registration or job titles or whether you live in an urban or rural community. We can only protect our water supply by working together. I stand ready to work with you to pass legislation that makes the changes we need today – all to safeguard Arizona’s water for tomorrow. And those who have spent years refusing to act: if you don’t, I will.”
Let us always remember that water and drought do not care about party registration or job titles or whether you live in an urban or rural community. We can only protect our water supply by working together.#SOTS2024#HobbsSOTSpic.twitter.com/igssZ2Vck5
That last line earned the Democrat governor an ovation from her allies in the Arizona House chamber, yet a warning of legal repercussions from two powerful lawmakers who were listening to her words.
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope responded, “Yeah, I don’t think she has that type of authority to act alone but she seems willing to bend the State Constitution to her will pretty often so I’m sure she’ll try and I’m sure we’ll see her in court.”
Yeah, I don’t think she has that type of authority to act alone but she seems willing to bend the State Constitution to her will pretty often so I’m sure she’ll try and I’m sure we’ll see her in court. https://t.co/7J0V94YSoD
Shope’s colleague, Senate President Warren Petersen, added onto the comment, writing, “Kind of like when she broke the law by appointing 13 fake directors?”
Kind of like when she broke the law by appointing 13 fake directors? https://t.co/g0Osoixwj1
The future of Arizona’s water policy has always been a complex issue, but perhaps more so during the past year with a divided government and two parties with very distinct ideas about how to manage the vital resource. As the governor also mentioned in her State of the State address, she created a Water Policy Council during her first year in office “to analyze and recommend updates, revisions and additions to the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act (GMA) and related water legislation, which shall include without limitation, analysis and recommendations for groundwater management outside current Active Management Areas.” Hobbs referred to this council as “bipartisan,” though one prominent Republican, Senator Sine Kerr, resigned from her post in October, alleging that the Council was “nothing more than a forum to rubberstamp the progressive environmental goals of special interest groups,” and that “this community (of Arizona citizens and stakeholders) is not being provided with fair representation at the table.”
Along with Kerr, the Arizona Farm Bureau also announced its withdrawal from the Council that month, opining, “…the outcome of the greater Council appears to be pre-determined as essentially a cross between the seriously flawed attempts of the past and an AMA (Active Management Areas).”
Hobbs created unfavorable headlines for the future of Arizona’s water during summer 2023, when she held a press conference to announce the publication of the Phoenix Active Management Area Groundwater Model. At the press conference, she stated that the study’s results “show we need to take action once again,” and that if the state does nothing at this juncture, “we could face a four percent shortfall in groundwater supplies over the next 100 years.” The governor announced a pause on “approvals of new assured water supply determinations that rely on pumping groundwater, ensuring that we don’t add to any future deficit.”
Republicans were quick to push back against Hobbs’ interpretation of the model. Kerr asserted that the results from the model “show the GMA of 1980 is working as it should,” and that “the remaining 4% of unmet demand over 100 years can be achieved through non-groundwater sources.” Representative Austin Smith told AZ Free News that “we can’t be beating the drum about a housing crisis, and then in the same beat, kneecap the housing industry.” Petersen also weighed in, writing, “There is no need to stop homebuilding. Homes use the least amount of water.”
Both the Arizona Senate and House Republican Majority Plans for 2024 addressed the issue of water. Senate Republicans promised that, “unlike the work product of the Governor’s Water Policy Council,” their solutions would “be grounded in the consent of the governed, the collaborative buy-in of all water users, and the common goal of preserving the health of groundwater basins for future generations.” House Republicans vowed to “protect, prioritize, and secure water resources for our state’s future.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
