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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Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) launched his first television ad of the 2026 campaign cycle last wek, highlighting his background as a legal immigrant, work history, and support for legislation restricting members of Congress from trading stocks.
The ad, titled “Work For You”, was released in both English and Spanish and is available to view on the campaign’s YouTube account. The spot centers on Ciscomani’s family story and his argument that public office should be focused on service rather than personal financial gain.
“Twenty years ago, I became an American citizen,” Ciscomani says in the ad. “We immigrated to the United States and started with nothing. Dad drove a bus. Mom cleaned houses. Five of us in a two-bedroom apartment.”
20 years ago, I became an American citizen 🇺🇸
My dad drove a bus. My mom cleaned houses. Like many, we've worked hard toward our American Dream.
That's why I stood up to both parties to ban insider trading by Members of Congress.
Ciscomani immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in Tucson, according to his official biography, where his father worked as a bus driver. As a child, he attended Tucson public schools, then Pima Community College and the University of Arizona, while working maintenance and service jobs before becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college.
“The opportunity to pursue our American Dream changed my life, but it’s not just my story – it’s the story of countless families across the country who simply want an opportunity to build a better future,” Ciscomani said in a campaign statement. “Families are working too hard to watch Washington politicians put themselves first. Arizonans deserve leaders who never forget where they came from, why they’re there in the first place, and who they work for. I don’t work for Washington. I work for you.”
The ad points to Ciscomani’s support for legislation aimed at congressional stock trading as a highlight of his freshman term. In the spot, Ciscomani says he “stood up to both parties” to cosponsor legislation banning insider trading by members of Congress.
Federal records list Ciscomani among the cosponsors of H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, introduced in January by House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI). The bill’s full title states that it would amend federal law “to require certain restrictions on stocks for Members of Congress and their spouses and dependents.”
The House Administration Committee said the Stop Insider Trading Act would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded securities. The committee said the bill would also require members to file public notice at least seven days, and no more than 14 days, before selling covered investments.
The committee said the proposal would require the House Ethics Committee to impose a fee equal to $2,000 or 10 percent of the value of the covered investment, whichever is greater, along with any net gain realized from the sale.
H.R. 7008 is currently pending consideration on the House floor after passing the Committee on House Administration in February 2026.
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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Rep. Eli Crane’s bill to expand the U.S. Capitol Police’s authority to respond to drone threats near the Capitol complex advanced through the House Administration Committee on Wednesday.
The U.S. Capitol Police Empowerment Act, sponsored by Crane (R-AZ-02), would authorize the Capitol Police Board and designated U.S. Capitol Police personnel to take action against unmanned aircraft systems that pose a credible threat to covered Capitol Police facilities or assets. The House Administration Committee unanimously advanced the measure during its June 24 markup.
Crane introduced the bill on May 13, 2025, with Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Barry Moore (R-AL), as original cosponsors. Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) later joined the measure as a cosponsor.
In a post to X, Crane wrote, “After meeting with the U.S. Capitol Police, I learned they lacked explicit authority to intercept drones on the complex.”
After meeting with the U.S. Capitol Police, I learned they lacked explicit authority to intercept drones on the complex.
My bill would allow the USCP to take decisive action to protect Members of Congress, staff, and constituents on Capitol Hill:https://t.co/IldB8bmEma
Under the bill text, the Capitol Police Board could authorize Capitol Police personnel assigned to protect people, facilities, or assets to mitigate a credible threat posed by an unmanned aircraft system. The bill would allow Capitol Police to detect, identify, monitor, and track a drone; warn its operator; disrupt control of the aircraft; seize or exercise control of it; confiscate it; or use reasonable force, if necessary, to disable, damage, or destroy it.
“The evolution of drone warfare has drastically changed both the battlefield and the threats to our national security,” Crane said. “My bill would grant the USCP the ability to take decisive action to protect Members of Congress, staff, and constituents on Capitol Hill.”
The legislation would require the Capitol Police Board to coordinate with the Secretary of Transportation and with the Federal Aviation Administration when an action could affect aviation safety, civilian aviation or aerospace operations, aircraft airworthiness, or the use of airspace.
The bill also includes privacy provisions. Regulations or guidance issued under the measure would have to ensure that interception or use of communications to or from a drone is conducted in a manner consistent with the First and Fourth Amendments and applicable federal law. The bill would limit the acquisition of communications to what is necessary to support authorized action and would generally bar retention of those records for more than 180 days unless one of several exceptions applies.
The measure would also require the chief of the Capitol Police, or another individual designated by the Capitol Police Board, to submit reports to Congress within six months of enactment and every six months thereafter. Those reports would have to cover actions taken under the authority, effects on the National Airspace System, privacy and civil liberties procedures, communications retained or shared outside Capitol Police, and any new technology or equipment deployed under the program.
The proposal comes as federal rules already restrict drone activity in Washington, D.C. The FAA says the National Capital Region is governed by a Special Flight Rules Area within a 30-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with unmanned aircraft flights prohibited inside the 15-mile inner ring without specific FAA authorization.
The U.S. Capitol Police also identifies Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol Grounds as a “No Drone Zone.” Capitol Police regulations prohibit unmanned aircraft on Capitol Grounds, and violations can carry arrest, a $300 fine, 90 days imprisonment, and additional federal civil or criminal penalties.
Crane’s office said he drafted the bill with input from committees of jurisdiction, including House Administration, Transportation and Infrastructure, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. The bill was referred to the House Administration, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Judiciary committees after introduction.
Crane has also introduced the DEFEND Act, a separate piece of legislation aimed at broader civilian drone threats, and, alongside Rep. Ciscomani, targeted drone interference with wildfire response efforts with the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act of 2025.
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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