Arizona Senate Republicans Request Meeting With Hobbs To Discuss “Overreach”

Arizona Senate Republicans Request Meeting With Hobbs To Discuss “Overreach”

By Daniel Stefanski |

Arizona’s Republican-led Legislature is taking action after the state’s Democrat governor’s attempt to legislate by executive order when it comes to abortion.

On Monday, Senator Jake Hoffman, the Chairman of the Committee on Director Nominations, announced that he was canceling the next hearing “with support of the Republican Majority serving on the committee to determine Hobbs’ future intentions to further act beyond her authority.”

The Committee had been formed in February by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who tasked the members with “gathering information and evaluating qualifications on the governor’s executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual.” This committee had been created alongside the governor’s reticence to send many of her nominations to the Senate as required by state law.

The three Republican members of the committee – Hoffman, Sine Kerr, and T.J. Shope – sent a letter to Hobbs on Monday, informing her that she holds “the office of Governor in Arizona, not of monarch.” They wrote that her Friday executive order shows “a blatant disregard for constitutional separation of powers” by attempting “to seize lawmaking duties from the Legislature and law interpretation authority from the United States Supreme Court.”

These Republicans requested a meeting with the Hobbs’ administration “to discuss any additional unlawful overreach (her) office intends to take requiring complicity from Executive Directors,” telling the governor that they have “grave concern that the direction (she) intends to provide to (her) nominees will not allow them to fulfill this obligation (of thoroughly and objectively evaluating nominees for their commitment to execute Arizona laws, rather than create new public policies that conflict with the constitutionally established separation of powers).”

A Senate Republican Caucus spokesperson told AZ Free News that the chamber has received 21 director nominations from Hobbs, with 12 awaiting their confirmation hearings.

Hoffman released the following statement in conjunction with the release, saying, “Katie Hobbs’ reckless abuse of power and willful disregard for the separation of powers established by the Arizona Constitution sets a dangerous precedent that will not be tolerated by the Republican Majority within the Legislature. The Senate Committee on Director Nominations was created to honestly, accurately and thoroughly vet directors appointed by the Governor to critical state agencies so that only highly qualified, non-partisan individuals seeking only to serve the best interests of our citizens within the confines of these roles are confirmed. Their duty is to follow statute as prescribed by the Legislature. We are now forced to redirect our attention, from confirming directors and creating good policy for the people of Arizona, to examining the fallout of Hobbs’ unconstitutional maneuver, as well as the likelihood of future overreaches of her authority.”

Shope also issued a comment on the action from the Committee’s Republicans, stating, “Hobbs undermining our democracy by ordering these state agency Directors to act illegally is a clear violation of the constitutional separation of powers. Instead of working with Republican lawmakers on the issues that matter to our citizens, like crippling inflation, gas prices, housing costs, public safety and water security, Hobbs is gleefully attempting to circumvent the Legislature. We can’t in good faith be an accomplice to her radical and unlawful agenda.”

The third Republican on the Committee, Kerr, wrote, “We have serious concerns this Governor will put her Directors in the difficult position of choosing to follow the law or choosing to follow her unconstitutional directives. The important work of the Committee on Director Nominations cannot continue until we have assurances from the Governor that she will cease her attempts to circumvent the laws of this state and the rulings of the United States Supreme Court.”

Arizona Senate Democrats quickly pushed back on Hoffman’s revelation. Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Lela Alston issued a statement, writing, “Senator Jake Hoffman has once again shown his disregard for government and everyday Arizonans. By failing to schedule the confirmation hearings for the Governor’s nominees, he shows how ineffective and partisan the Republican party in Arizona truly is. I am disgusted by this move of extremism and call on his leadership to rectify his foolish actions.”

Another Senate Democrat leader, Caucus Whip Eva Burch, also weighed in on the Republicans’ action, saying, “Our job as elected officials is to serve the people of Arizona, not to engage in political sport to try to sabotage politicians we disagree with. The move to cancel all nominating committees is a disservice to the people who elected us to get these things done. Leaving our departments with uncertainty and without established leadership is irresponsible. It’s time to do our jobs and work together effectively and responsibly.”

Hobbs’ Friday news dump caught most Republicans by surprise but didn’t limit the outrage and resolve from pro-life officials and advocates over the weekend. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma told AZ Free News that “the Governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizona’s 15 county attorneys to the Attorney General.” President Petersen opined that “this is another do-nothing executive order meant to pander to her liberal base and create unnecessary division on polarizing topics.” Center for Arizona Policy President, Cathi Herrod, asserted, “The law does not allow her to strip county attorneys of their clear enforcement authority as granted in various Arizona laws.”

Earlier this year, Republican leaders at the Arizona Legislature celebrated their “successful intervention(s) in cases to defend state laws and fight against federal overreach.” One of those cases was the SB 1457 (or Isaacson) litigation, where “a federal court granted Speaker Toma’s and President Petersen’s motion to intervene to defend a law that prohibits abortions based solely on a child’s genetic abnormality after Arizona Attorney General Mayes stated she would not defend the law.”

Hoffman’s decision to cancel Tuesday’s hearing will likely not be the last of the actions legislative Republicans could take to stand against Hobbs’ executive order.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Hobbs Accused Of Ignoring “Fallout Of Crippling Gas Prices”

Hobbs Accused Of Ignoring “Fallout Of Crippling Gas Prices”

By Daniel Stefanski |

An Arizona lawmaker is calling out Governor Katie Hobbs for rising gas prices.

On Friday, Senator Jake Hoffman issued a press release, which highlighted “disturbing details…over what Katie Hobbs knew about Arizona’s fuel supply, and the fallout of crippling gas prices from her inaction, after concerns were raised over a major shortage.”

Hoffman’s release originated from reports that a letter had been sent to Hobbs in March by independent petroleum refiner HF Sinclair, warning the state’s chief executive “of a critical supply shortage in Arizona due to an unexpected equipment failure stopping the production of ‘Cleaner Burning Gasoline’ (CBG) required by the Biden Administration in Maricopa County, as well as parts of Pinal and Yavapai Counties.” Hoffman revealed that HF Sinclair had “asked Hobbs to seek a waiver on that requirement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but the Hobbs Administration denied that request, baselessly claiming the EPA wouldn’t approve it.”

The state senator put Governor Hobbs on blast for this inaction, asserting that her constituents would pay a literal price for this decision: “Katie Hobbs’ incompetence as Arizona’s Governor continues to take center stage, and hardworking Arizonans are paying the price for it. The average price for a gallon of gas right now in Maricopa County is a full $1 higher than the national average. This is extra money that could help with groceries, medications and other necessities many of our taxpayers are having a difficult time affording because of the Biden Administration’s reckless policies leading to historic inflation. Hobbs had an opportunity to do the right thing by requesting this waiver to allow prices at the pump to drop, but she instead chose to selfishly play political games with the livelihoods of our citizens by refusing to back down from her woke ‘green’ agenda to appeal to her far-Left base. Katie, this is not California. In Arizona, we put families first.”

Senator Hoffman’s release shared part of the letter from HF Sinclair, where the refiner argued that Hobbs would be within her right to seek the waiver from the EPA, writing, “Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 7545(c)(4)(C)(ii), EPA may temporarily waive a control or prohibition respecting the use of a fuel when extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances prevent the distribution of an adequate supply to consumers. EPA may grant such a waiver where such circumstances are the result of a natural disaster, Act of God, refinery equipment failure, or another event that could not reasonably have been foreseen or prevented, and where doing so would be in the public interest (e.g., when a waiver is necessary to meet projected temporary shortfalls in fuel supply in a state or region). Such circumstances presently exist in Arizona.”

The Hobbs’ Administration may not have been willing to pursue this waiver to help Arizonans at the gas pumps – something that can’t be said about the Biden Administration, which had another opportunity to lower fuel prices earlier this year. Last month, the EPA issued “an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline – gasoline blended with 15% ethanol – to be sold during the summer driving season.” According to the EPA, “the waiver will help protect Americans from fuel supply crises by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, building U.S. energy independence, and supporting American agriculture and manufacturing.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Hoffman Calls Out Hobbs After Vetoing Bill That Bans Filming Porn In K-12 Classrooms

Hoffman Calls Out Hobbs After Vetoing Bill That Bans Filming Porn In K-12 Classrooms

By Daniel Stefanski |

A powerful Arizona state senator is calling out the state’s Democrat governor for her veto of his bill that would have protected children.

This week, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1696, which was recently transmitted to her office. The bill would have outlined “prohibitions on the State of Arizona, a state or a city, town, county or a political subdivision of the state regarding sexually explicit materials.” Those aforementioned entities would have been prohibited “from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials,” and the properties owned, leased or managed by those entities would have been banned from filming or facilitating sexually explicit acts.

Hobbs explained her reasoning behind the veto in a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, writing, “I have vetoed SB 1696. While I agree that not all content is appropriate for minors, this bill is a poor way to address those concerns. The sponsor has stated that this bill was aimed at preventing a specific action from reoccurring, while in reality it is written in such a vague manner that it serves as little more than a thinly veiled effort to ban books.”

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Jake Hoffman, was outraged over the governor’s action, issuing a blistering statement to push back against her decision: “Once again, Katie Hobbs is spotlighting Democrats’ far-left extremism by vetoing yet another bill intended to protect our children from exposure to sexually explicit materials at the hands of Arizona governments. It’s absolutely sickening that Katie Hobbs is allowing pornography to be filmed in our state’s taxpayer-funded classrooms. These should be safe spaces for our kids to learn in, not venues for the sexually explicit adult entertainment industry. No 12-year-old child should ever have to worry that their middle school desk was the location of a porn shoot, yet because of Hobbs’ actions, this is precisely the case. Hobbs should be ashamed of herself, and every parent in the state of Arizona should be outraged. This is a despicable use of government resources, and there should be legal repercussions in place to discourage these types of practices from ever occurring again.”

In a release sent out just days before Hobbs vetoed his bill, Hoffman explained why his proposal was vital for the interests of the Grand Canyon State, saying, “Just last year, two Arizona teachers in Mohave County used government facilities to film pornography which they were then posting and profiting from. Astonishingly, there is no law that prohibits this from happening.”

SB 1696 recently passed the Arizona House of Representatives with a 31-27 vote (with one member not voting and one seat vacant) after clearing the chamber’s Government Committee with a party-line 5-4 vote. Earlier in the legislative session, it had received approval from the state senate with a 16-14 tally, after being given the green light in the chamber’s Government Committee with another 5-3 party-line vote.

Senators Anthony Kern and Justine Wadsack and Representatives Rachel Jones, Cory McGarr, and Austin Smith joined as co-sponsors to this bill.

Representatives from the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Chapter for the National Association of Social Workers, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, and Save Our Schools Arizona registered their opposition to the bill throughout the legislative process.

The Arizona Freedom Caucus had weighed in on Hoffman’s earlier plea to Governor Hobbs, writing, “Taxpayer-funded facilities should never be used for things like filming pornography. Unfortunately, it’s a fact that they have been. Putting an end to this abuse of taxpayer-funded school classrooms is a no brainer. Governor Hobbs do the right thing & sign the bill.”

Democrat Representative Nancy Gutierrez took the opposing approach in her response on Twitter, posting: “This is who you are voting for if you are voting Republican in AZ. This is disgusting propaganda. Instead of putting the Legislature on a break for weeks, maybe we could go do our jobs and not leave time for this foolishness.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Panel Rejects Hobbs’ Nominee Quezada As RoC Head

Panel Rejects Hobbs’ Nominee Quezada As RoC Head

By Daniel Stefanski |

Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs is again facing stiff opposition to one of her nominees for leadership with a state agency.

On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Director Nominations voted to reject Martín Quezada’s appointment to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.

The committee’s action now puts Quezada’s nomination in jeopardy with the full Senate expected to take up the recommendation in the coming days.

During the hearing, former legislator Adam Kwasman, who appeared to be in attendance, tweeted his strong opposition to Quezada’s confirmation, writing, “The Arizona Senate must soundly reject the nomination of Martín Quezada as the director of the RoC. He has demonstrated, in his political career a consistent, radical anti-Jewish viewpoint. He is one of this state’s BDS leaders. Such bigotry has no place in any administration.”

After the conclusion of the hearing, the panel’s three Republicans shared their thoughts in a press release transmitted by the Senate Republican Caucus. Chairman Jake Hoffman stated, “Mr. Quezada has a history at the Arizona Legislature of spreading antisemitism, which prompted the Israel Heritage Foundation to send Katie Hobbs a letter calling for his termination as ROC Director. What’s equally disturbing are his continual, on-the-record comments made while serving as a legislator regarding hiring and firing practices. According to Mr. Quezada, qualifications for a job are determined by skin color, gender, religion and political affiliation. This is not a philosophy any state agency should ever adopt. The fact that Katie Hobbs is turning a blind eye to this is certainly more indicative of ‘chaos’ and not the ‘sanity’ she promised after taking office.”

Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope added, “The ROC can ultimately make or break the livelihoods of contractors within our state, so it’s important to choose a leader who supports entrepreneurs in their quest to serve our citizens responsibly and honorably. Unfortunately, during his tenure in the Legislature, Mr. Quezada developed a track record of voting against small businesses 82% of the time, according to data released from NFIB. We can’t in good faith sign off on a director who has a history of voting against the community in which he’s tasked with serving.”

And Senate Majority Whip Sine Kerr said, “Some of the more disappointing moments from today’s committee highlighted Mr. Quezada’s baseless and hateful accusations against Republicans as a whole. The ROC Director must be able to work with contractors of all races, genders, religions and political affiliations for the betterment of our state. Unfortunately, Mr. Quezada’s extremist views should automatically disqualify him from serving in this role. I would also argue that any politician who states they don’t believe they need to keep promises made to their constituents is not someone to be trusted in any capacity.”

Hobbs nominated Quezada on January 23, writing, “I have full confidence that the expertise represented in this group of leaders will bring us closer to an Arizona that works for everyone. These directors will rise to both the challenges and opportunities in their departments and in our state.”

The Senate Committee on Director Nominations was formed by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen earlier in the year and was “tasked with gathering information and evaluating qualifications on the governor’s executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

New Budget Includes Tax Relief For Arizona Families

New Budget Includes Tax Relief For Arizona Families

By Daniel Stefanski |

Arizona taxpayers are going to get some extra cash for the holidays thanks to Republicans giving back from this fiscal year’s budget.

Included in the Fiscal Year 2023 Arizona Budget was the insertion of the Arizona Families Tax Rebate. According to a release from Arizona Freedom Caucus Chairman and Senator Jake Hoffman, “Arizona families can expect to receive one-time tax rebates of up to $750 for qualifying households. Those with dependents under the age of 17 will receive $250 per dependent, or those with dependents 17 and older will receive $100 per dependent, capped at three dependents. Households must have a tax liability of at least $1 in order to be eligible. This criterion is based off of 2021 state tax returns.”

Hoffman explained the motivation for the tax rebate, writing, “Gas, groceries, housing and energy prices have surged over the past three years since Democrats took control of the federal government. As a result, Arizona families are hurting while they attempt to pay for the most basic necessities each month, like putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads, paying medical bills, keeping the lights on and filling up their gas tanks. In the meantime, government is flush with cash and in the position to give back to our honest, hardworking taxpayers.”

“This is the first time in at least 30 years our state lawmakers have been able to step up to the plate to provide a tax rebate of this magnitude for our citizens,” said Hoffman. “I’m proud of the leadership of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and for the support of our Republican colleagues, to dedicate $260 million to helping struggling Arizona families. Despite the current economic uncertainty, the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and conservative Republicans at-large, remain fully committed to keeping Arizona free, vibrant, and prosperous for Arizona families, and all Arizonans, for generations to come. We hope this extra money will make life a little less stressful for our Arizona families as they approach the Christmas holiday season later this year.”

This tax rebate appeared to be the focus of discontentment from some Democrats at the state legislature. Earlier in the week, Representative Oscar De Los Santos took to Twitter to share his thoughts about the recently negotiated budget, saying, “Important context missing from AZ budget debate: Years of massive GOP corporate tax giveaways have resulted in AZ not having the resources – this year & in the future – we need to fund our schools, ensure housing & healthcare for all, solve the water crisis, and more.”

De Los Santos’ charge led Republican Representative Justin Heap to respond: “By ‘corporate tax giveaways’ do you mean the ‘Family Tax Rebate’ that will give every Arizona family with children a check? Leave it to Democrats to characterize giving some of their tax money back to Arizona families as ‘tax giveaway.’ It’s not our money, it’s theirs.”

The pushback from Heap led another Democrat lawmaker, Representative Athena Salman, to add, “That’s false. Your rebate program leaves out families like mine who started and grew our families after 2022. Plus non-tax filers. Go read the bill, it’s short.”

Scot Mussi, the President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, told AZ Free News, “we were very pleased to see the budget not only be structurally balanced, but also return nearly $300 million back to taxpayers. That money belonged to hardworking families, and we are glad it’s getting returned to them.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.