A bill to protect children on the internet is nearing the finish line in the Arizona Legislature, though some partisan opposition puts its fate in jeopardy with Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs should it reach her desk.
SB 1503, sponsored by Senator Wendy Rogers, “directs a commercial entity to verify that any person attempting to access an internet website containing a substantial portion of material harmful to minors is at least 18 years old.” The bill “authorizes the age verification to be made through a commercially available database that is regularly used by businesses or governmental entities for the purposes of age and identity verification; or any other commercially reasonable method of age and identity verification.” It “subjects a commercial entity that violates the verification requirement to civil liability for damages, including attorney fees and costs, resulting from the minor’s access to the material.”
Rogers was joined on her bill by co-sponsors (and fellow Senators) Ken Bennett, Sonny Borrelli, Frank Carroll, David Farnsworth, Jake Hoffman, Steve Kaiser, John Kavanagh, Janae Shamp, T.J. Shope, and Justine Wadsack.
The bill first cleared the Arizona Senate Transportation and Technology Committee in February with a bipartisan vote of 5-2. Democrat Senator Christine Marsh joined four other Republicans to advance the legislation out of committee. After a Rogers’ amendment was adopted on the floor, the full chamber approved the bill with a bipartisan 19-11 vote, though Marsh did not vote in favor.
Senator Rogers cheered the passage of her proposal after the Senate vote, tweeting, “Need to be age 18 to view ‘content harmful to minors’ (pornography) on the internet. My SB 1503 passed the Arizona Senate. #ProtectChildInnocence”
SB 1503 was then transmitted to the Arizona House of Representatives where it was assigned to the Regulatory Committee. In March, the Committee took up and considered this bill, passing it with a party-line 4-3 vote. It awaits the green light from the House before it travels to the Governor’s Office for her final decision.
During the House Regulatory Committee hearing, Representative Nancy Gutierrez explained that she thought this legislation was “an infringement on our First Amendment rights,” and she found it “ridiculous” that anyone would suggest that a company would be at fault for a child looking at inappropriate websites. Gutierrez was baffled that anyone would also suggest that “there is a mechanism that would even be able to verify age.”
Her Democrat colleague, Representative Alma Hernandez, agreed with these sentiments. Before Hernandez voted against SB 1503, she first stated that she didn’t want children looking at pornography on the internet, but that this was “almost impossible to actually enforce.” She argued that the United States is “not North Korea, China, or Iran, where those countries have internet censorship,” and she challenged her Republican colleagues to return to their freedom-loving roots when coming up for solutions of problems that are perpetrated on the internet. Hernandez stated that she believes “it should be up to the parents to decide if they want to put screening mechanisms on their children’s phones.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
After days of anticipation, a former American president was indicted by a New York City grand jury, sparking great outrage by Arizona Republicans.
Former President Donald J. Trump, according to reports, was indicted by a New York City grand jury on Thursday. The indictment came days after Trump posted a warning to his Truth Social account that he would soon be arrested despite “no crime being able to be proven and based on an old and fully debunked fairytale.”
The news created a firestorm across the nation – on both sides of the aisle. Arizona, home to some of the most ardent supporters of the former president – was no exception, as lawmakers and party leaders expressed their thoughts on the historic and unprecedented action by a prosecutor against a former leader of the free world and current frontrunner for President of the United States.
Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican nominee for Arizona Governor, released a statement condemning the indictment, writing: “This is a dark moment in the history of our nation. The radical left and their weaponized criminal justice system have crossed all legal and ethical lines in an attempt to destroy President Donald J. Trump. Jailing your political opponents based on politically-motivated grievances is something you’d expect to see out of third-world dictatorships or banana republics. But now, after a years-long assault on our Constitution, the radical left has accelerated this country’s descent into a broken system that allows for the political persecution of ANYONE who threatens the status quo.”
My statement on the Indictment of the 45th & 47th President of the United States. Donald J. Trump ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/kC2fnNpNiD
— AZ State Rep. Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) March 30, 2023
Smith later added, “The American left has fully embraced Bolshevism now with no apologies There is no going back from this.”
The American left has fully embraced Bolshevism now with no apologies. There is no going back from this.
— AZ State Rep. Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) March 31, 2023
Representative John Gillette stated, “This has already been to trial. Stormy lost and had to pay Trump $300,000, her lawyer, Avanati was convicted and sent to prison for fraud. The Democrat machine and the Soros funded AG, used his office for politics. He just assured that Trump supporters will come out strongly!
This has already been to trial. Stormy lost and had to pay Trump $300,000, her lawyer, Avanati was convicted and sent to prison for fraud. The Democrat machine and the Soros funded AG, used his office for politics He just assured that Trump supporters will come out strongly!
— Rep. John Gillette AZ House LD30 (@AzRepGillette) March 30, 2023
Representative Alex Kolodin challenged his colleagues to use the breaking news to push legislation that would hinder these prosecutorial actions, saying, “Reminder, my fellow Freedom Caucus members and I are running a bill to prohibit political prosecutions – the time is now!”
Reminder, my fellow Freedom Caucus members and I are running a bill to prohibit political prosecutions – the time is now!https://t.co/XjiH5VeJYG
Kolodin’s pitch to fellow legislators attracted the attention of Senator Justine Wadsack, who endorsed his comments” “I’m proud to work with @realAlexKolodin on our bill #SB1418 that passed out of the Senate and House Government committee. The timing for the need of such a bill is ironic with the indictment of Donald Trump.”
I’m proud to work with @realAlexKolodin on our bill #SB1418 that passed out of the Senate & House Government committee.
— AZ Senator Justine Wadsack (@Wadsack4Arizona) March 31, 2023
Senator Jake Hoffman, the Chairman of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, said, “The indictment of President Trump by this Soros-backed prosecutor is the most disgusting weaponization of the justice system in our nation’s history.”
“The indictment of President Trump by this Soros-backed prosecutor is the most disgusting weaponization of the justice system in our nation’s history.
Democrats just guaranteed President Trump the White House in 2024.”
Senator Jake Hoffman Chairman, Arizona Freedom Caucus
— AZ Representative Rachel Jones (@RJ4arizona) March 31, 2023
Senator Wendy Rogers, one of Trump’s top allies in the state, echoed what many of her colleagues had been releasing throughout the day, tweeting, “We stand with @realDonaldTrump.”
The Arizona Senate Democrats Caucus appeared to mock Republicans standing with the former President – specifically Representative Smith, tweeting, “ *makes note* Arizona Freedom Caucus is standing with the President who paid hush money to a porn star while married.”
Smith had the last word with this exchange, firing back: “ *makes note* Arizona Senate Democrats ok with third world country tactics”
— AZ State Rep. Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) March 31, 2023
The Arizona Senate Democrats Caucus unsurprisingly had a different perspective on the day’s events, stating, “Big list of ‘firsts’ from Donald Trump: – First President to face criminal charges. – First President to lead an insurrection on our Capitol (joined by a current Arizona Republican State Senator). – First President that led an active charge to overturn our elections.”
Big list of “firsts” from Donald Trump: – First President to face criminal charges. – Frist President to lead an insurrection on our Capitol (joined by a current Arizona Republican State Senator). – First President that led an active charge to overturn our elections. https://t.co/rN7gbnnmHx
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) March 30, 2023
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona Legislative Republicans are working overtime to protect young students from what they could read or hear in their district schools, though these efforts are opposed by Democrats and have little chance at becoming law.
SB 1323, sponsored by Senator Jake Hoffman, “classifies, as a class 5 felony, a violation of the prohibition on a public school referring students to or using any sexually explicit material in any manner,” according to the purpose provided by the State Senate.
The prohibition of “sexually explicit material” is found in ARS 15-120: “….includes textual, visual or audio materials or materials accessed via any other medium that depict any of the following – sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or ultimate sexual acts.” There are exemptions from this prohibition, which include the school requiring written parental consent for the student to be referred to or use the materials.
As with most pieces of legislation dealing with children’s education and schools, the vote in the Senate came down along party lines. 16 Republicans voted in favor, while 13 Democrats vote against (Senator Juan Mendez did not vote).
"This bill is about stopping the sexualization of Arizona children."
Senator Jake Hoffman explains why Arizonans should be outraged by how Senate Democrats voted today on a bill that protects children. pic.twitter.com/RTNLH43too
The bill previously passed the Senate Judiciary and the Rules Committees with partisan 4-3 votes.
SB 1323 provoked a heated debate on both sides of the aisle when members of the Senate cast their votes. Democrat Senator Anna Hernandez bemoaned what she perceived as the lack of due process for the bill, arguing that there was no difference between a teacher presenting the materials to kindergarteners or high school seniors, or that the legislature was not making a clear line for teachers who were intentionally versus unintentionally making the material available to students. She stated that the state was taking a “huge step forward to criminalize the speech of a teacher who refers to a book,” and she wondered aloud why Arizona has a teacher shortage with these kinds of bills being proposed by Republican legislators.
Democrat Senator Christine Marsh agreed with her colleague, making the case that the language in the existing law was already incredibly vague on prohibitions, and that the added criminal penalty in Hoffman’s proposal was a huge problem. She echoed Senator Hernandez’s comments about the teacher shortage in the Grand Canyon State, saying that “educators are already finding the working and learning conditions in Arizona to be untenable,” and that “mistakes could expose a person to serious felony or prison time.”
Republican Senator Anthony Kern took strong exception to what he was hearing from Democrats, claiming that this bill protects children and that “teachers are leaving because they are being intimidated by the left for their Christian values.” He noted that “it is not naïve to think that our children are being targeted by our current school board education system to explicit pornography and explicit materials.”
Democrat Senator Mitzi Epstein pushed back against the Republicans’ assertions that explicit pornography was being shown to students in Arizona public schools, saying that Arizona “already has laws on the books against showing pornography to children.” She called the bill “overreach” and “ridiculous.”
Bill sponsor, Jake Hoffman told his fellow colleagues that his bill was about “stopping the sexualization of Arizona’s children,” and admitted that the definition of “sexually explicit” was pulled from the obscenity section of the U.S. Criminal Code, which was adopted in the 1960s – and hasn’t been amended since 2001. He revealed that when the Legislature previously considered a bill to enshrine into law the definitions of “sexually explicit materials,” he had to obtain permission from DPS to show pictures from a book for ten-year-olds in a committee hearing (since the proceedings were being broadcasted). He blasted Democrats for their votes against the bill, saying that “every parent in Arizona should be ashamed of the red (no) votes,” and he predicted that Governor Hobbs would aid “in the sexualization of children in Arizona” by vetoing this legislation.
Senator Sonny Borrelli presented a thought-provoking question from a constituent for his colleagues to consider when casting their votes: “Why is talking about sex with adults at work considered sexual harassment but talking with kindergarteners and middle school and grammar school kids considered necessary?” He called the Democrats’ stance on this proposal a “double standard” that was “completely off the charts.”
Senators Anthony Kern, Janae Shamp, Justine Wadsack, and Representatives Joseph Chaplik and Jacqueline Parker co-sponsored Hoffman’s legislation. Representatives from the Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club supported the bill, and representatives from the Arizona Education Association, Save Our Schools Arizona, American Civil Liberties Union of AZ, and AZ Attorneys for Criminal Justice opposed its movement through the legislative process.
SB 1323 now awaits its fate in the Arizona House of Representatives.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has had a rocky start to her tenure as Arizona’s newest chief executive, and her personnel decisions and lack of transparency with legislators continue to backfire and frustrate her policy objectives.
Late Wednesday night, news broke that Governor Hobbs’ nomination for the Director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, Matthew Stewart, was asked to resign. Stewart’s selection to this position was announced by then-Governor-elect Hobbs on December 27, in a press release. Hobbs issued a quote with Stewart’s (and others) introductions, saying, “These are some of the best minds Arizona has to offer, and I am proud that they have chosen to serve the people of Arizona by my side.”
As of this week, though, Stewart will no longer be serving by Hobbs’ side. In a press release, Senator Jake Hoffman, the Chairman of the Committee on Director Nominations, unveiled his understanding of the reasons behind Stewart’s dismissal, including that Stewart “received a letter of reprimand for ‘insubordination and unauthorized absence’ while serving as a DCS Training Operations Supervisor in 2020.”
Hoffman also revealed that Stewart “has also made some questionable moves on consulting contracts,” and had recently “fired non-appointed, openly-gay employees of DCS, who have now filed complaints against him.” This last assertion, Hoffman wrote, “prompted the forced resignation.”
The Director Nominations Chairman did not mince words about the sudden turn of events with Hobbs’ failed DCS nominee, writing, “It is disgraceful that Katie Hobbs either did not conduct a thorough review of Mr. Stewart prior to offering him the position as DCS Director, or she thought she could sweep his history under the rug.” He also touted the value of his committee, saying, “This unfortunate series of events proves precisely why the Senate Confirmation process is so vitally important for the people of Arizona….it seems clear that Hobbs is not conducting her own vetting process, so my colleagues and I will continue to serve as the necessary and constitutional check and balance on the Executive Branch that the citizens of our great state need and deserve.”
Several of Senator Hoffman’s colleagues agreed with his thoughts on this embarrassing episode for the Hobbs’ administration. Senator Anthony Kern tweeted, “Mirroring the disaster of the Biden Administration; Katie Hobbs isn’t nominating appointees because they are qualified to lead our state.”
Mirroring the disaster of the Biden Administration; Katie Hobbs isn't nominating appointees because they are qualified to lead our state. #Vetting@AZSenateGOPhttps://t.co/VjqdMq6xmu
Senator Justine Wadsack responded, “It’s a good thing the AZ Senate is vetting Hobbs’ Director nominees. Her choice for DCS Director was so bad, she forced him to resign! But she should never have appointed him in the first place! The AZ Senate is taking these Directors seriously, protecting the people of Arizona.”
It’s a good thing the AZ Senate is vetting Hobbs’ Director nominees! Her choice for DCS Director was so bad, she forced him to resign! But she should never have appointed him in the first place!
The AZ Senate is taking these Directors seriously, protecting the people of Arizona. https://t.co/SxuSFPGPEs
Governor Hobbs addressed the Stewart news on Thursday, stating, “The Department of Child Safety has a critical mission protecting Arizona’s most vulnerable population, our children. As a social worker, I take the leadership of this agency very seriously, and while I thank Matthew Stewart for his work with the agency over the last month and a half, he will not be moving forward in the cabinet appointment process. Cabinet members serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and this is a decision that was made for the best interests of all parties involved.”
Legislative Democrats didn’t have much to say on this latest debacle for Governor Hobbs. The Arizona Senate Democrats Caucus quote-tweeted Senator Hoffman’s press release, saying, “REMINDER: It’s never too late to take us up on our suggestion of a longwinded email sent to the 9th floor…”
REMINDER: It’s never too late to take us up on our suggestion of a longwinded email sent to the 9th floor… https://t.co/5Mc2coKdpo
Since President Petersen commissioned the Committee on Director Nominations, it has held two meetings, considering four of Governor Hobbs’ nominees to lead state agencies. The panel has voted to recommend two of those individuals, opposed one (who was later rejected by the Senate), and held another one for future vetting. According to Senate sources, Hobbs’ office has only transmitted eleven of her nominees to the state legislature as is her constitutional obligation.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Governor Katie Hobbs’ nominee to head up Arizona’s health services department failed to earn the support of a majority of Senate members on Tuesday.
Last week, the Arizona Senate’s bipartisan Committee on Director Nominations held its first hearing to vet the nominations of two of Governor Katie Hobbs’ appointments to lead state agencies. One, Angie Rodgers, who was nominated to lead the Department of Economic Security, received unanimous support from all five committee members (three Republicans and two Democrats). The other, Dr. Theresa Cullen, who was nominated to run the Department of Health Services (DHS), received an unfavorable recommendation after lawmakers had ample time to review her record and statements.
This week, the full Arizona Senate took up the nominations and rejected the governor’s choice to lead DHS. This was not any ordinary vote, however. Senate Democrats – and Governor Hobbs – claimed that the nomination was withdrawn, and the vote was moot. President Warren Petersen informed Senators that he had not received the withdrawal notice, and so the vote proceeded as scheduled. AZ Free News was told that the Governor attempted to withdraw her nomination of Dr. Cullen, but nothing was received by the Senate’s Secretary.
The Senate’s course was expected after the committee hearing, in which Petersen served up a warning following perceived inconsistencies in Dr. Cullen’s answers, tweeting, “Any nominee who gets caught lying at a confirmation hearing is not fit to serve the state of Arizona.”
Any nominee who gets caught lying at a confirmation hearing is not fit to serve the state of Arizona. The 9th floor could learn from Napolitano. Napolitano did not appoint radical lefties as directors.
In an exclusive interview with AZ Free News, Senator Jake Hoffman, the chairman of the Director Nominations Committee, had the following to say after the floor action and the governor’s attempt to frame Dr. Cullen’s defeat as a Republican-forced withdrawal:
“Personnel is policy, and Katie Hobbs demonstrated with the nomination of Theresa Cullen that her policy agenda is an extreme, authoritarian one that will have no problems infringing the civil liberties of the people of Arizona. Cullen’s record is one of lockdowns, curfews, school closures, forced vaccinations, shaming Pima County citizens, and lying during her confirmation hearing. The people of Arizona deserve better.”
After the Senate’s vote, the Senate Republican Caucus released statements from its leadership team, reacting to the latest development with Governor Hobbs’ problematic nomination. Senate President Petersen said, “We now hope that the Governor takes a more pragmatic approach to this process and appoints individuals in the mainstream, without a political agenda, and who are ready to answer questions from the public.”
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope stated, “We heard some pretty damning testimony in last week’s committee hearing that was only made worse with lies from Dr. Cullen. Presenting us with this kind of nominee only highlights a failure from the Hobbs administration.”
Senate Majority Whip Sine Kerr responded, “If only Governor Hobbs would have taken the time to conduct the same thorough vetting process as my colleagues and I did at the Senate, we would not be here today, voting on – and ultimately rejecting – a nominee who clearly is not an appropriate fit for this position.”
Governor Hobbs, on the other hand, was furious about the Senate’s action in rejecting her nominee for DHS, writing, “As long as Republicans choose politics over the people of Arizona, some of the most talented and qualified candidates will choose not to enter state service, and it is the people of Arizona who will suffer most because of these political games.” She characterized the behavior of “some Republicans on the State Senate’s committee on director nominations” as “nothing short of harassment,” and she bemoaned the rejection of a nominee with a “mountain of expertise and an immense track record of public health success.”
The Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus claimed in a tweet that Hobbs’ letter was “hand delivered and sent via email to ensure (the Republicans’) symbolic nonsense vote wasn’t necessary.
According to Arizona Senate sources, Governor Hobbs has now transmitted nine total nominations to the legislature, including the failed nomination of Dr. Cullen. The governor is expected to name a replacement nominee for Dr. Cullen, though she blasted Senate Republicans for her current dilemma: “If the Senate’s Director Nominations Committee is unwilling to acknowledge the skill and expertise of Dr. Cullen, there may be no public health professional in the State they would endorse.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
