by Jonathan Eberle | Jul 31, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen announced a series of key leadership changes Monday, reshuffling committee chairmanships as the Legislature continues to press forward with its conservative agenda.
Senator John Kavanagh will step down as Chairman of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee to focus full-time on his new position as Senate Majority Leader. Replacing him is Senator David Farnsworth, who will now lead the newly combined Appropriations & Transportation Committee.
Farnsworth, a longtime advocate of limited government and responsible budgeting, is expected to bring a fiscally conservative approach to the role. His leadership will influence critical decisions on state spending, infrastructure investment, and resource allocation.
In turn, Senator Hildy Angius will take over Farnsworth’s previous post as Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Angius will helm legislative efforts concerning Arizona’s K-12 and higher education systems, with a particular focus on school choice and parental rights—issues that remain a top priority for Senate Republicans.
“These appointments strengthen our chairmanship bench and keep our conservative agenda focused where it belongs – on the needs of everyday hardworking Arizonans,” said President Petersen in a statement. “I’m confident these committees will continue to be led with integrity, discipline, and common sense.”
The realignment signals a tightening of Senate leadership around core priorities such as budget discipline, infrastructure modernization, and education reform, as lawmakers gear up for the next legislative session.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Jul 22, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Arizona Republican Assembly (AZRA) has released its Final Legislative Scorecard for the 2025 Arizona State Legislative Session.
This scorecard evaluates Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives members based on their voting records and alignment with AZRA’s core principles of limited government, individual liberties, and fiscal responsibility.
As primary elections approach, this scorecard is a critical tool for voters to distinguish authentic conservatives from those who merely claim the label.
The AZRA Legislative Scorecard is the only one, not only in Arizona but in the nation, where a committee of twelve members from across the state invest thousands of hours analyzing over 1,800 bills annually, rating more than 250 bills.
AZRA then publishes these bill ratings before legislative votes, notifying every legislator in advance and inviting feedback to ensure fairness. To maintain integrity, AZRA contracts a national data firm that receives daily voting data from the Arizona Legislative Council, updating results without manipulation or bias.
The scorecard lists 30 State Senators and 60 State Representatives, providing numerical scores out of 100 based on weighted votes on key bills. Scores are presented alphabetically by last name for letter grades, in descending order, along with party affiliation and legislative district.
Among senators, Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) earned the highest score of 98.5, followed by Senator Wendy Rogers (R-LD7) at 96.9, Senator David Farnsworth (R-LD10) at 95.9, and Senator Timothy Dunn (R-LD25) at 95.5.
The highest-ranking Democrats were Senator Brian Fernandez (D-LD23) at 40.5 and Rosanna Gabaldón (D-LD21), at 34.1. The lowest scoring Democrats were Lauren Kuby (D-LD8) at 25.4 and Priya Sundareshan (D-LD18) at 23.8.
Representative Selina Bliss (R-LD1) led the House with a score of 96.8, followed by a four-way tie at 96.1 among Majority Leader Michael Carbone (R-KD25), John Gillette (R-LD30), Quang Nguyen (R-LD1), and James Taylor (R-LD29).
Rep. Bliss recognized AZRA’s Scorecard saying, “It is an honor to be recognized, along with seatmate Quang Nguyen, by the Arizona Republican Assembly for our work at the Capitol!”
Out of the Democrat Representatives, Alma Hernandez (D-LD20) scored the highest with a 49.4 and Consuelo Hernandez (D-LD21) with a 48.8. The lowest ranked Democrats are Quantá Crews (D-LD26) with a score of 26.6 and Mariana Sandoval (D-LD23) with a 25.5.
The AZRA scorecard reveals a significant divide in voting patterns between Republican and Democratic legislators in the Arizona State Senate and House, with Republicans ranging from 78.7 to 98.5 and Democrats scoring from 23.8 to 49.4.
Correction: This story originally stated that there are 50 State Representatives. The story has been updated to reflect the correct number at 60 State Representatives.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Jul 13, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
In response to a surge of troubling reports involving fraudulent Medicaid claims and abuse within Arizona’s healthcare system, the Senate Health & Human Services Committee has announced a special hearing scheduled for August 18, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Arizona State Senate.
Committee Chairwoman Carine Werner (R-LD4) will lead the hearing, which aims to investigate widespread concerns tied to Arizona’s Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Reports point to systemic fraud involving Residential Treatment Facilities, often known as “sober living homes,” where patients were allegedly exploited in elaborate schemes prioritizing profit over care.
One of the most notable cases involves Farukh Jara Ali, the Pakistan-based owner of ProMD, who was recently indicted for submitting over $650 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims. According to investigators, some facilities bribed individuals to attend certain programs, then billed Medicaid for services that were medically unnecessary—or never provided at all.
Chairwoman Werner emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue: “We are hearing of too many instances where Arizona’s Medicaid system is being hijacked by criminals, while honest providers, patients, and ultimately all taxpayers, pay the price.”
Werner pointed out that Arizona is not alone. The state was among several affected in a recent nationwide healthcare fraud “takedown” that led to charges against more than 300 individuals. The total cost to Arizona: more than $650 million.
The upcoming hearing will bring together key stakeholders to examine what led to these breakdowns and explore policy reforms to strengthen oversight and accountability within AHCCCS. Lawmakers hope the session will also generate bipartisan momentum to protect the integrity of healthcare services and better safeguard Arizona’s most vulnerable populations.
“This isn’t just about money,” Werner said. “It’s about ensuring our healthcare system isn’t exploited at the expense of people who truly need help.”
The August 18 hearing is open to the public.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Jun 22, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
With less than two weeks before Arizona’s fiscal year ends, a deepening budget dispute between the state House and Governor Katie Hobbs escalated Saturday, as House Speaker Steve Montenegro announced plans to introduce a continuation budget to keep state government running past the June 30 deadline.
Montenegro said the House would move forward with a stopgap measure after determining that the Senate-passed executive budget, negotiated by Hobbs and Republican Senate leaders, lacks sufficient support to clear the House.
“The executive budget plan passed in the Senate does not have the votes in the House—with bipartisan opposition from Republicans and Democrats,” Montenegro said. “Now, with time running out and no viable path forward for their plan, it’s our responsibility to act to prevent a shutdown.”
He added that House Republicans had already passed their own budget last week, which he said focused on public safety, infrastructure, and government accountability—but that proposal was “ignored by the Senate.”
“The House is not going to be forced into a take-it-or-leave-it deal that doesn’t reflect the will of our members or the people we represent,” Montenegro said. “We will do what responsible legislators should do: take action to keep government running and protect Arizona taxpayers.”
A continuation budget, currently being drafted, would maintain current funding levels to preserve essential government operations while lawmakers continue to negotiate. However, the governor swiftly condemned the plan and signaled she would veto any such proposal.
In a statement, Governor Hobbs accused House Republicans of abandoning bipartisan talks and attempting to “jam through an irresponsible and partisan ‘budget.’”
“For months I have worked with leaders of both parties, in both chambers, to craft a bipartisan, balanced, and fiscally responsible budget,” Hobbs said. “Sadly, House Republican leadership abdicated their responsibility and refused to meaningfully participate in those bipartisan conversations.”
Hobbs warned that the continuation budget would gut pay raises for state troopers and firefighters, slash childcare and education funding, raise taxes on small businesses, and eliminate key investments in veterans’ services and wildfire mitigation.
“Speaker Montenegro knows this, yet he has chosen to continue with this farce as an exercise in pointless political grandstanding,” she said. “His reckless actions jeopardize basic government functions with potentially devastating consequences.”
The governor also criticized House Republicans for seeking an increase in their own per diem pay while proposing cuts to public safety and education programs.
“This irresponsible House Republican budget will raise costs and make our state less safe, less secure, and less competitive,” she added. “It’s time for House Republican leadership to come back to reality, stop wasting everyone’s time, and show some common sense by working with their colleagues in a productive fashion.”
With the June 30 deadline approaching, the battle over Arizona’s budget now hinges on whether either side can reach a new agreement—or whether the impasse will trigger a government shutdown.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 22, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
A bill to establish a Bitcoin Reserve in the State of Arizona was resurrected in the legislature by the State Senate before the chamber adjourned Sine Die on Friday. House Bill 2324, introduced by Arizona Representative Jeff Weninger, was passed in the Arizona House on its third reading, but was reconsidered in the Senate and advanced 16-14. The bill now returns to the House for consideration before it also adjourns.
The proposed measure would create a “Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund” designed to manage all legally forfeited digital assets and currencies.
According to the Senate Fact Sheet, HB 2324 would allow “a court to order a person convicted of an offense for which forfeiture applies to forfeit any digital asset used in, acquired through or traceable to the offense.” I also, “prescribes procedures for a government agency to sell seized digital assets and outlines the allocation of monies acquired from the sale.” And it, “establishes the Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund, administered by the State Treasurer, to store, manage and allocate digital assets securely.”
The bill now concurred upon by the Senate must also pass the Arizona House before moving to Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk where its fate is uncertain. According to Coin Telegraph, the first $300,000 in digital assets from a criminal forfeiture would head to the Attorney General’s office, from whence any mount over $300,000 would be divided with 50% going to the Attorney General, 25% to the state general fund, and 25% to the new digital assets reserve fund. While Hobbs has vetoed three Cryptocurrency bills, she has also signed HB 2749 into law which permits the state to hold unclaimed cryptocurrency and establish a Bitcoin reserve fund that wouldn’t utilize any state funding or taxpayer dollars.
At the time, Hobbs stated, “Current volatility in cryptocurrency markets does not make a prudent fit for general fund dollars,” and described the cryptocurrency-related legislation as “risk(s),” and “untested.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
