Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected legislation that would have imposed an accountability-based intervention system for expectant mothers who abuse substances.
Arizona does not currently punish expectant mothers for drinking alcohol or using drugs.
Lawmakers who passed the bill, SB 1476, said it would have protected children from the harmful consequences of mothers who drink alcohol or use drugs while pregnant.
The bill would have classified those adverse behaviors as child neglect, a class six felony. Expectant mothers would then have several options before them: face legal consequences, or undergo alcohol or drug treatment.
Class six felonies may be modified as class one misdemeanors. This felony level is considered the least severe; punishments can range from probation or prison time from four months to nearly six years, depending on the total number of past felonies and the severity of the offense.
Hobbs dismissed the approach of the bill in her veto letter, arguing that punishments wouldn’t deter mothers from abusing substances while pregnant.
“Further criminalization will not yield safer pregnancies and births in Arizona,” said Hobbs. “I instead invite you to join me in efforts to expand access to substance use treatment.”
Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-LD2), sponsor to SB 1476, said in a press release announcing the bill’s passage earlier this month that the legislation would enable the justice system to intervene on the child’s behalf and get the mother into drug or alcohol recovery programs.
“Every child deserves a safe and healthy start in life,” said Bolick. “When substance abuse harms a child before they’re even born, the law should recognize that reality while also encouraging mothers to seek treatment and recovery. This bill strikes an appropriate balance between accountability and compassion, with both the mother’s and child’s well-being remaining the top priority.”
The latest data cited by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that, on average, about six out of every 1,000 newborns in the hospital are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), the clinical term for babies born with drug dependence. Per the CDC, NAS increased by over 80% from 2010 to 2017.
Arizona has one of the highest NAS rates in the nation. Out of every 1,000 hospitalizations of newborns, nine are diagnosed with NAS. NAS diagnoses have steadily increased in the state since 2009.
The latest reporting from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) stated that 97% of babies diagnosed with NAS, Substance Exposed Newborns (SEN), or Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) received treatment services within 30 days of birth in the 2025 fiscal year.
During her first year in office, Hobbs vetoed legislation that would have required infants born alive during an abortion to receive medical interventions to preserve their life and health.
The governor said the bill impermissibly interfered with the relationship between the woman and her doctor, and a breach of her campaign promise to kill any bill perceived as interfering with abortion rights.
“It’s simply not the state’s role to make such difficult medical decisions for patients,” said Hobbs.
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Scottsdale leaders have accused senior executives with the weapons company behind the Taser, Axon Enterprises, of using a pay-to-play scheme to sway the outcome of the Scottsdale City Council election.
Scottsdale City Councilman Barry Graham, former Councilman Bob Littlefield, and former State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita made the case for their complaint in a letter to the Axon Enterprise board of directors. All three are also running for council seats.
In a press release, Graham accused Axon’s senior executives of engaging in what appeared to be an attempt to influence the city council election. If their actions were what they appeared to be, said Graham, then that would raise troubling implications concerning corporate involvement in local elections.
The letter to Axon’s board claimed Axon executives funneled over $1.1 million into at least one political action committee their cohorts created — Arizonans for a Better Future — to defeat city council candidates opposed to a rezoning for their company’s headquarters campus.
These same cohorts created another political action committee earlier this month, Better Together, but total funds aren’t yet available since its first campaign finance report won’t be due until July 15.
Ballots for the city council election began to be mailed out on Wednesday.
This power struggle between Scottsdale leadership and Axon can be traced back to 2024, when a lame-duck majority of the Scottsdale City Council approved Axon’s petition to rezone 74 acres for apartments to serve its new headquarters. Scottsdale residents who objected to the rezoning formed the Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions and successfully gathered more than 25,000 signatures for a ballot referendum.
However, before that election could occur, Axon headed off a potential voter rejection of their desired rezoning by convincing the legislature to pass SB 1543, dubbed the “Axon Bill.” The legislation prevents municipalities with populations between 200,000 to 500,000 from allowing residents to weigh in on certain land zoning measures pertaining to hoteling and housing.
The legislative workaround irked Scottsdale’s elected leaders, including key Scottsdale lawmakers who claimed they were left out of discussions on the bill. Mayor Lisa Borowsky accused Gov. Katie Hobbs and the legislature of “unconstitutional overreach” that would ultimately harm the Scottsdale community.
I am disappointed with the way the Axon Bill has played out, culminating with the Governor signing this awful legislation—-without any discussion with representatives of #Scottsdale, knowing the impact it will have exclusively on our communities.
These political action committees were characterized as coordinating entities engaged in “aggressive” political campaigns against Graham, Littlefield, and Ugenti-Rita, whom the letter said were the only three candidates that had supported all but Axon’s apartment component of their headquarters project.
“[T]he circumstantial evidence here is substantial and difficult to ignore. It suggests that senior executives of a major public corporation are attempting to remove local elected officials and candidates perceived as insufficiently supportive of the company’s development objectives,” stated the letter. “Scottsdale voters should decide who represents Scottsdale — not corporate executives, political consultants, or special interests with access to virtually unlimited financial resources.”
The complaint letter relayed that the political action committee was created and entirely funded by Axon leadership.
Axon lobbyist Chris Baker and Axon spokesman David Leibowitz formed the two political action committees. Arizonans for a Better Future received $500,000 from the Axon company itself, $500,000 from Axon CEO Rick Smith, $100,000 from Axon President Josh Isner, and $20,000 from Axon Chief Legal Officer Isaiah Fields.
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Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) was once again accused by Kari Lake, President Donald Trump’s pick for the U.S. ambassador to Jamaica, of being under the control of drug cartels.
Lake defended her claim during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), ex-running mate to Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential run, asked Lake about her accusation against Gallego, remarking that it was debunked by fact checkers and accusing Lake of “undiplomatic behavior.”
Lake said she didn’t know whether evidence existed to prove her claim that drug traffickers control Gallego, but that she had confidence in her position.
“I don’t believe my charge is wrong. Ruben Gallego’s father is a high-level drug trafficker who is a felon,” said Lake.
Kaine read aloud one of several X posts by Lake accusing Gallego of cartel ties. Lake has claimed Gallego kept up his ties with his “Mexican narco trafficker family.”
I can’t speak to these new allegations against @RubenGallego.
I only know his past — & when your own party nicknames you “the Troll,” you’ve got problems.
His life has been full of red flags. I spent over a year sounding the alarm.
Lake has also accused Secretary of State Adrian Fontes of being a “cartel lawyer” who was “fraudulently installed” within a “puppet government” under Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Gallego responded with a denial of the charge. Gallego has maintained for years that his father, a convicted drug trafficker named Jose Angel Marinelarena, abandoned his family when he was a child, and that he was raised by his mother.
Gallego changed his last name from “Marinelarena” to his mother’s surname, Gallego, while serving as chief of staff to former Phoenix City Councilmember Michael Nowakowski.
Gallego said that he wasn’t ashamed of his origins.
“Kari Lake decided to take the hardest part of my family’s life and turn it into a weapon. She has claimed for years that I’m controlled by the cartels because of my father,” said Gallego. “I am not ashamed of where I come from. Kari Lake should be ashamed of what she is willing to say to get ahead.”
My father walked out on my family when I was a kid. My mother raised us. I made my own way, joined the Marines, and built a life he had no part in. There are thousands of American boys doing the same thing right now, growing up determined to be better men than the fathers who… pic.twitter.com/I4OIhJXrBg
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) June 18, 2026
Much of Lake’s responses to senators during the hearing focused on cracking down on the narcoterrorism afflicting Jamaica.
Trump nominated Lake for the ambassadorship following an unsuccessful effort to dismantle the Voice of America (VOA). The president initially announced Lake as the director of VOA before shifting Lake into a special advisory role within VOA’s parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
It was within USAGM that Lake made moves to carry out the Trump administration’s desire to scale back VOA operations in order to cut bureaucratic bloat. These efforts were rebuffed by a federal court.
Lake addressed the USAGM exodus in brief at her confirmation hearing last week. Lake said VOA operations had improved under her leadership.
Other committee Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with Lake’s cuts to VOA and concerns that Lake would not work with Congress in her role as ambassador. Lake maintained that her work had improved VOA operations and promised that she would work with Congress.
Lake remains within her deputy CEO role at USAGM pending Senate confirmation.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs once again vetoed key election bills, blocking a Republican-backed reform package.
The governor rejected six Senate bills restricting election equipment internet connection, expanding chain-of-custody requirements, publicizing cast vote records and voter registration rolls, increasing anti-counterfeiting measures for election ballot vendors, clarifying voter registration standards for those residing temporarily out of state, and requiring disclosures for out-of-state circulators.
Similar proposals were included in bills passed by the legislature and vetoed by Hobbs last year.
The following were the veto explanations Hobbs gave for the election reform package:
SB 1037: Hobbs said further specifications regarding election equipment belonged in the Elections Procedures Manual, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1064
SB 1038: Hobbs claimed jeopardization of constitutional protections for voter privacy, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1280
SB 1040: Hobbs claimed that voter registration information could be redistributed or posted online, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1375
SB 1057: Hobbs claimed election officials would endure added expenses and complexities, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1123
SB 1060: Hobbs claimed the bill would prevent U.S. citizens from registering to vote, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1052.
SB 1429: Hobbs claimed U.S. citizens would be prevented from registering to vote, namely those born overseas to service members, citing her 2025 veto of SB 1052
Arizona Senate Republicans rejected Hobbs’ arguments as unconvincing, and accused the governor of “a troubling pattern” in which she has been intentionally “keeping Arizona voters in the dark.”
A press release from the caucus issued Tuesday made the case that voters should have more opportunities to verify the integrity of their elections — not be forced into their current position where Republicans say their only option is, allegedly, to trust the outcome.
State Sen. Mark Finchem (R-LD1) insisted that these election reforms were necessary to combat voter insecurities over election results.
“When questions about election results come up, and they always do, election officials and poll workers need real tools to show their work and defend the outcome,” said Finchem. “These vetoes strip away the very things that would help good people running elections prove the system is working. Public cast vote records, stronger ballot security, and clearer chain-of-custody rules aren’t about attacking anyone. They’re about giving the people who administer elections the ability to back up their results with evidence instead of just statements. Blocking these reforms year after year doesn’t build trust, it makes the job of defending Arizona’s elections harder.”
State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD7), chair of the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee, argued that Hobbs had also prevented additional means for voters to have hands-on oversight of their elections.
“She blocked public cast vote records, stronger anti-fraud features on ballots, tighter security on voting equipment, and more transparency on voter rolls and ballot measures. If everything is already so secure and trustworthy, why is she fighting so hard to keep voters from seeing more of it?” said Rogers. “These bills weren’t radical, they were basic safeguards. The governor keeps telling people to just trust the system while she works to keep it in the dark.”
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Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation that would have established financial transparency requirements tied to an alleged pay-to-play scandal involving her administration.
Hobbs called the legislation, SB 1186, a “political stunt” against her in a veto letter. The governor issued her veto last Friday as part of her office’s regular legislative action updates.
The governor also claimed that her proposed amendment to the financial disclosure reform bill — carried by Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan (D-LD18) — was superior to what was vetoed by her.
“As I have made clear, this proposal is a political stunt that applies only to one elected official, when what we really need is real transparency and accountability for all elected officials, campaigns, and affiliated political committees,” said Hobbs. “Transparency and accountability are priorities I have acted on from day one.”
The Hobbs-Sundareshan amendment would have restricted lawmakers from receiving donations from state contract bidders.
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-LD16), the bill sponsor, explained to Capitol Media Services that the governor’s office, not the legislature, handles procurement, and that the amendment would have weakened the legislation.
SB 1186 would have required companies holding or seeking state contracts and certain grants to disclose anything of value provided in the preceding five years to the governor or the governor’s campaign-related entities, inaugural funds, joint fundraising committees, and organizations supporting the governor or opposing the governor’s political opponents.
The bill also would have prohibited state agencies and employees from destroying contract proposal evaluation notes. Contracts tied to improperly destroyed records would be subject to resolicitation.
Multiple entities are investigating Hobbs for the alleged pay-to-play scheme, which involved $400,000 in campaign donations from group home operator Sunshine Residential Homes and a unique, multibillion-dollar rate increase contract nearly 40 percent above the average for other peer contractors, as awarded by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
Hobbs was also the only Arizona candidate to receive contributions from Sunshine Residential Homes CEO Simon Kottoor and his wife, Elizabeth Kottoor, during the 2022 and 2024 election cycles.
Several investigations into this alleged scheme are occurring simultaneously: one by Attorney General Kris Mayes, one by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Auditor General Lindsey Perry, and one by an advisory team within the Arizona House.
The agency told Capitol Media Services that the contract occurred because Sunshine Residential Homes threatened to increase intake of migrant children at the expense of the state’s foster children if it didn’t receive additional funding.
The Arizona Senate GOP stated in a press release that Hobbs had rejected essential safeguards to prevent government officials from rewarding financial supporters with taxpayer-funded contracts.
Shope accused Hobbs of denying Arizona taxpayers the right to transparency from their elected leaders.
“Arizona families work hard for every dollar they send to the government. They have every right to know whether companies seeking millions or even billions of taxpayer dollars have financial or political ties to the Governor’s inner circle before contracts are awarded, not after another scandal makes headlines,” said Shope. “If state contracting decisions are truly being made fairly and on merit alone, transparency should not be controversial.”
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