Republican lawmakers pushed for reforms to the state’s disability assessment policies before they took effect this week.
House Majority Whip Julie Willoughby and State Senator Janae Shamp issued a press release on Tuesday raising concerns about the reasonableness and evidence basis for the latest assessment policies from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) and Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
Per Willoughby and Shamp, coalitions of parents, advocates, and direct care workers reported having little opportunity for meaningful discussion or improvement regarding the new assessment policies, which they described as “extreme and unsustainable.”
Stakeholders allege the new assessment model from DES and AHCCCS will cause bigger burdens for everyone across the board: families, health care providers, and the state. As one example, they argue against the shift of habilitation services to an age basis instead of a skill basis, citing the long-term costs and setbacks from late intervention.
“Lives are at stake, and we must act now to ensure our disability support system functions for the best possible outcomes,” said Shamp.
The main source of contention concerns rollbacks to a program that paid families to be caregivers to their own children with special needs, the Parents as Paid Caregiver (PPCG) service model. Under the policy changes, children under 10 years old won’t qualify for state-backed attendant care. The changes also implement age limits on habilitation.
“We are urging DES and AHCCCS to pause these harmful changes and sit down with families and providers to develop an approach that works,” said Willoughby and Shamp in a joint statement. “Creating this tool is a huge responsibility, and we need people at the table who have real-life experiences and expertise to ensure the best possible outcomes for our people.”
DES and AHCCCS hosted two public forums earlier this month to review policy updates. Details, including the slideshow and a recording, of that meeting were posted online.
In a joint statement, DES and AHCCCS said the updates were made to address medical necessity and cost effectiveness concerns.
“AHCCCS revised its assessment tools and service policies in collaboration with Managed Care Organizations, providers and stakeholders. These updates are in response to conditions in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) waiver approval and to comply with House Bill 2945, which was signed into law in April 2025, and provided the supplemental funding for DDD. Initial proposed policy and procedural revisions were open for public comment from May 9, 2025 through July 9, 2025.
As a part of the policy changes, AHCCCS also updated the assessment tools used to determine eligibility for medically necessary Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for individuals under age 18 enrolled in Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS), which includes the Developmental Disabilities (DD) and the Elderly and Physically Disabled (EPD) programs. These tools now include standardized developmental milestone metrics to help case managers and support coordinators assess whether a child’s needs meet the definition of extraordinary care and should be further assessed for certain tasks/supports. This may include changes in the number of service hours children are approved to receive. The new assessment tool will take effect on October 1, 2025, and will be applied during each member’s regularly scheduled quarterly review thereafter.”
A spokeswoman for Governor Katie Hobbs said the policy changes were necessary to ensure the state funded appropriate treatments for children with special needs. Hobbs promised there would be alternatives beyond PPCG for families who relied on that service model.
“These changes were made to ensure services remain clinically appropriate for children while protecting the long-term viability of critical programs,” said Hobbs press secretary Liliana Soto. “We also recognize the need for additional support beyond these assessed services and our office, in collaboration with AHCCCS and DES, is actively exploring solutions to provide connections for families navigating these transitions.”
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Over 1,500 individuals want the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) to remove one of its board members for criticizing an overweight health official.
Board member and state senator Carine Werner made the comments during a presentation by Nutritional Services Director Patti Bilbrey at a board meeting last month. It appears Werner intended to make the comments to herself, but her remarks were caught on a hot mic. Werner was attending the meeting remotely.
“This is what I have to listen to,” said Werner. “She’s in nutrition services and she’s like morbidly obese.”
Werner also uttered the comment “chub” amid some indiscernible audio.
General Mills Foodservice has recognized Bilbrey as the only “trayblazer” in Arizona — one of around 40 nationwide — for her innovative approaches to feeding students.
A coalition of mainly progressive parents and community members say Werner, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, had committed fat-shaming in conflict with board policy. Werner has previously caught the ire of this coalition of parents for pushing to rid SUSD of books advancing DEI and LGBTQ+ ideologies.
An organization, Swing Left, organized a protest to demand Werner’s resignation during the September 9 board meeting. Around 50 individuals showed. Werner was absent, as was board president Donna Lewis.
Public comment focused on Werner’s remarks from last month’s meeting.
Shea Najafi, an SUSD parent and progressive activist organizer who founded Scottsdale Women Rising, has led efforts to recall Werner. Najafi is gathering signatures to hold a recall campaign, which would require around 4,000 signatures.
“It was deplorable. We couldn’t believe she called a beloved district employee ‘Chubs’ during a presentation in which she was speaking about how we can feed kids during the summer,” said Najafi.
Najafi and others seeking Werner’s recall plan to attend the October 7 meeting with TV crews in tow.
“You’re f****d, Werner,” wrote Najafi in a Facebook post.
SUSD governing board vice president Mike Sharkey, who Najafi and other progressives support, disclosed that he asked legal counsel whether Werner could be censured over the remarks. According to Sharkey, counsel advised the board couldn’t act in that manner.
Sharkey then read aloud a pre-written statement to the protesters.
“I do not condone the conduct of the board member given what I heard at the board meeting on August. 5. I know what I heard, but only the speaker can know why she said what she said,” said Sharkey during the September 9 meeting. “This behavior does not reflect the board member ethics as adopted in policy nor is it representative of SUSD’s core values.”
Yet, Sharkey later admitted in a statement to The Progress that he didn’t hear what Werner said at first. It was only after he reportedly received an email containing Werner’s remarks that he understood what had been said.
“I heard crosstalk at the original August 5 meeting but didn’t comprehend what was said,” said Sharkey.
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity stated that an AI analysis of the board meeting audio compared to prior board meetings indicated the audio had been enhanced to make Werner’s comments audible. Those who attended the meeting in person reported not hearing Werner’s commentary.
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Superintendent Tom Horne and Treasurer Kimberly Yee are at odds over a sizeable loan to a school district.
Horne wants Yee to approve a $3 million cash advance to Nadaburg Unified School District (NUSD), located inside Wittman. He stated in a Monday press release that Yee failed to conduct a proper review of the district’s finances before denying the advance.
The superintendent cleared up previous reports of a projected deficit as a “clerical error.” Horne called Yee’s denial “irresponsible” and urged her to reconsider.
“Our Finance Division did its research and determined that Nadaburg is operating within its budget, and by the end of the year they will have a projected positive cash balance of $1.3 million. Initially it was thought that they would have a negative cash balance at the end of the year, but the Department of Education, being a service institution, checked the forms and found the district made an unintentional clerical error that they can correct,” said Horne. “The Treasurer could have done the same review because she has the necessary forms, which were provided to her by our office, and her office failed to follow up with us to determine why we approved the advance.”
Yee not only denied the district a $3 million cash advance to address a $5 million deficit, she asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to direct a special investigation of the district through the Auditor General. The reported deficit amounted to three times the total amount of revenue NUSD anticipates from property taxes.
Yee’s announcement came last week, several days before Horne issued his response.
The treasurer expressed concern that Horne and the Arizona Department of Education had approved an advance to a district “in considerable financial crisis.” Although Horne alleges Yee failed to conduct a proper review of NUSD finances, Yee claimed in that preceding press release that she identified poor financial practices.
“The state’s top education agency should have been able to identify, as the Arizona Treasury has, that this District may desperately need financial experts to bring their books into the black,” said Yee.
In the denial letter to NUSD Superintendent Aspasia Angelou, Yee said the district failed to justify the necessity of the expenses the advance would cover and failed to show efforts to reduce current expenses to the minimum.
“[This] raises concern that the deficit is not necessary due to the timing of property tax collections, but could potentially be indicative of gross financial mismanagement,” said Yee. “[Our office] is seriously concerned that an advancement of funds now will only compound the district’s deficit and harm the financial stability of the district for years to come.”
In his Monday press release, Horne dismissed Yee’s claim of financial mismanagement as lacking any evidence. Rather than evidence of impropriety, Horne said the request was normal.
“District cash advances are common because a school district’s income and expenses may fluctuate,” said Horne. “As long as the district’s cash position is positive by the end of the year, and the funds will be paid back, cash advances are allowable.”
NUSD cited a low ending fund balance from the prior fiscal year and decreased property tax collections in 2024 as the main reasons for the deficit.
There are nearly 1,500 students in NUSD.
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Governor Katie Hobbs has rejected the Federal Drug Administration’s restrictions on the new COVID-19 vaccine.
The FDA limited administration of the 2025-26 formula for the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 65 and older. However, last week, Hobbs issued an executive order expanding access to anyone over the age of six months old.
The governor claimed she issued the executive order to ensure Arizonans’ health and safety.
In explanations of its August announcement to the media, the FDA explained it recommended limitations on the newest vaccine formula in order to address safety and efficacy concerns.
“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense,” said Secretary Robert Kennedy. “This framework delivers all three.”
I promised 4 things:
1. to end covid vaccine mandates.
2. to keep vaccines available to people who want them, especially the vulnerable.
3. to demand placebo-controlled trials from companies.
In a May report, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad recommended randomized clinical trials to prove the vaccines’ safety and efficacy.
The FDA did recommend allowing immunization to those as young as six months on the condition that they have “at least one underlying condition” rendering them “at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.”
The CDC defines these underlying conditions to include: Asthma; cancers; cerebrovascular disease; chronic kidney disease; chronic lung diseases limited to bronchiectasis, COPD, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension; chronic liver diseases limited to cirrhosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis; cystic fibrosis; diabetes; heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; HIV; mental health conditions limited to mood disorders including depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorders; neurologic conditions limited to dementia and Parkinson’s disease; obesity; physical inactivity; pregnancy; primary immunodeficiencies; smoking, current and former; solid organ or blood stem cell transplantation; tuberculosis; use of corticosteroids or immunosuppressive medications; epilepsy; hemophilia; sickle cell disease; and substance use disorder.
Despite the conflict with FDA recommendations, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) teamed up with Hobbs to expand eligibility to those as young as six months in Arizona.
ADHS determined outside FDA recommendations that the the Moderna Spikevax is appropriate for children aged six months to 11 years, the Pfizer BioNTech (Comirnaty) is appropriate for children aged five to 11 years, and the Moderna (Spikevax), Novavax (Nuvaxovid), and Moderna (mNEXSPIKE) are appropriate for children 12 years and older.
Dr. Richard Carmona, ADHS Public Health Medical Advisor and former U.S. Surgeon General, indicated the 2025-26 formulation was as safe and effective as prior formulations.
“Vaccines are one of the most important tools we have to protect our communities,” said Carmona. “The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Vaccines help us limit the spread of disease and reduce pressure on our healthcare system.”
ADHS interim director Sheila Sjolander called the updated FDA recommendations a “confusion” that the governor and ADHS clarified.
“We understand the federal changes have caused confusion about eligibility for vaccination,” said Sjolander. “We are committed to keeping the public updated on our recommendations throughout this respiratory season. ADHS has updated our website with the latest information on what the standing order means for Arizonans.”
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A series of new laws taking effect are anticipated to raise Arizona’s economic competitiveness.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Arizona Chamber) highlighted six new laws as giving the state a beneficial boost in economic performance against other states.
These laws aim to make it feasible for international headquarters to build on-site workforce housing and support services (Senate Bill 1543), permit utilities to refinance infrastructure investments through securitization (House Bill 2679), allow Chase Field renovations without increasing taxes (House Bill 2704), make it feasible for advanced air mobility systems such as drone deliveries and air taxis (Senate Bill 1307), require utilities and public power entities to implement wildfire mitigation plans (House Bill 2201), and bars foreign entities from funding lawsuits while limiting outside funding to third-party litigation (Senate Bill 1215).
Dozens of states are working together to create a uniform approach to allowing advanced air mobility, along with the Federal Aviation Administration. Over 30 states are members of the Advanced Air Mobility Multistate Collaborative (AAMMC), formed in 2023 with eight to 10 member states. Arizona is member to the organization leading AAMMC, the National Association of State Aviation Officials.
In addition to raising awareness of the new laws it backs, the Arizona Chamber also releases public reports of failed bills it believed would harm the state’s economy. The chamber announced their 2025 report is forthcoming.
Arizona Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden stated that the six featured laws would retain corporate interest in the state by implementing necessary reforms and new pathways to growth.
“As these laws take effect, Arizona employers can count on policies that reflect their priorities,” said Seiden. “From keeping vital economic drivers in Arizona, to passing commonsense energy reforms that will deliver long-term stability and affordability, to supporting global companies, these are the kinds of policies that keep Arizona competitive and attractive for investment.”
The legislature also passed other laws anticipated to boost the economy, some of which Governor Katie Hobbs also approved from the Republican-controlled legislature despite a historic veto record (nearly 200 bills this year, compared to her previous historic record of over 140 in 2023).
One such law promises to further protect Arizona from regulatory capture by monopoly-controlled utilities (House Bill 2518). The legislation prohibits Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) members from accepting employment with the utilities under their regulation. Not all ACC members were pleased with the legislation, namely ACC Chairman Kevin Thompson.
TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR
AZ Corporation Commission member Kevin Thompson’s personal attacks against Rep. Justin Olson are totally unprofessional
Arizonans have become accustomed to childish meltdowns like this from Katie Hobbs
Chair Thompson was the subject of an ethics claim filed by the Energy Policy Institute earlier this year, as first reported by the Arizona Republic. The institute alleged a conflict of interest regarding the relationship between Thompson’s consulting firm and utilities.
Another law will ensure construction crews may work in the early morning hours in the summers by prohibiting municipalities and counties from enacting or enforcing noise ordinances, rules, or regulations prohibiting general construction activities during certain summertime hours (Senate Bill 1182).
And another law requires municipalities to give affected businesses at least 60 days’ notice before voting on tax increases (House Bill 2119).
The legislature also chose to sunset the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program rather than renew. Critics of the program blame lax policies and procedures for the Department of Housing’s loss of around $2 million to a wire fraud scam in 2023.
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