by Ethan Faverino | Nov 21, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp (R-LD29) hailed a significant court victory after a challenge to one of the state’s strictest child-protection laws was rejected, ensuring that convicted sex offenders remain subject to rigorous registration and oversight requirements.
The court ruled that the plaintiff—a registered sex offender previously convicted of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of sexual abuse, and public indecency—must continue to comply with all current sex-offender registration laws and conditions.
The decision upholds years of Republican-led legislative efforts to close loopholes that once allowed thousands of dangerous offenders to evade public scrutiny.
In just the past two years, four bills authored by Senator Shamp to strengthen protection for children and increase accountability for predators have been signed into law. These measures have resulted in more than 6,800 Level 1 sex offenders—previously spared by “legal loopholes”—now appearing on Arizona’s public registry for crimes against children.
“This ruling sends a loud and clear message: Arizona stands with children, not with offenders. I will not slow down, I will not back off, and I will continue to close every door that pedophiles try to slip through,” said Senator Shamp. “All sex offenders in Arizona, your secrets are revealed, and the consequences will follow you. I want to thank victims like Kayleigh Kozak for fighting this battle alongside me to get the job done. My mission is to protect the vulnerable, and I will fight every day to continue finding legislative solutions to achieve that. This victory is only the beginning—our work to secure Arizona’s future continues.”
Kayleigh Kozak, the driving force behind “Kayleigh’s Law”, has become one of Arizona’s most prominent victim-advocates. The landmark legislation, passed with bipartisan support and signed into law in 2022, gives victims of dangerous crimes, including sexual abuse, the right to obtain a lifetime restraining order against their perpetrators.
The law was born out of Kozak’s own experience. As a middle-school student in Buckeye, she was sexually assaulted by her soccer coach. Years later, she learned that her abuser was attempting to have his probation lifted, sparking her to team up with Sen. Kerr to draft such legislation.
Within its first year, Kayleigh’s Law enabled 1,009 Arizona victims to serve their perpetrators with lifetime protective orders.
“Over the past four years, I have worked alongside Senator Shamp on critical legislation to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and to bring truth and transparency to the judicial system—making our communities and children safer,” said Kozak. “The actions of these registered sex offenders are both disgusting and dangerous. Now, through multiple lawsuits, they are challenging the enhanced sex offender registration laws, further demonstrating their disregard for rules, boundaries, and laws.”
She continued, “If these offenders feel uncomfortable with society knowing who they are, where they live, and what they have done, they should have considered the consequences of their actions before choosing to harm a child. Together, we can continue to advocate for safety, accountability, and transparency in our communities!”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 3, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Republican lawmakers pushed for reforms to the state’s disability assessment policies before they took effect this week.
House Majority Whip Julie Willoughby and State Senator Janae Shamp issued a press release on Tuesday raising concerns about the reasonableness and evidence basis for the latest assessment policies from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) and Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
Per Willoughby and Shamp, coalitions of parents, advocates, and direct care workers reported having little opportunity for meaningful discussion or improvement regarding the new assessment policies, which they described as “extreme and unsustainable.”
Stakeholders allege the new assessment model from DES and AHCCCS will cause bigger burdens for everyone across the board: families, health care providers, and the state. As one example, they argue against the shift of habilitation services to an age basis instead of a skill basis, citing the long-term costs and setbacks from late intervention.
“Lives are at stake, and we must act now to ensure our disability support system functions for the best possible outcomes,” said Shamp.
The main source of contention concerns rollbacks to a program that paid families to be caregivers to their own children with special needs, the Parents as Paid Caregiver (PPCG) service model. Under the policy changes, children under 10 years old won’t qualify for state-backed attendant care. The changes also implement age limits on habilitation.
“We are urging DES and AHCCCS to pause these harmful changes and sit down with families and providers to develop an approach that works,” said Willoughby and Shamp in a joint statement. “Creating this tool is a huge responsibility, and we need people at the table who have real-life experiences and expertise to ensure the best possible outcomes for our people.”
DES and AHCCCS hosted two public forums earlier this month to review policy updates. Details, including the slideshow and a recording, of that meeting were posted online.
In a joint statement, DES and AHCCCS said the updates were made to address medical necessity and cost effectiveness concerns.
“AHCCCS revised its assessment tools and service policies in collaboration with Managed Care Organizations, providers and stakeholders. These updates are in response to conditions in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) waiver approval and to comply with House Bill 2945, which was signed into law in April 2025, and provided the supplemental funding for DDD. Initial proposed policy and procedural revisions were open for public comment from May 9, 2025 through July 9, 2025.
As a part of the policy changes, AHCCCS also updated the assessment tools used to determine eligibility for medically necessary Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for individuals under age 18 enrolled in Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS), which includes the Developmental Disabilities (DD) and the Elderly and Physically Disabled (EPD) programs. These tools now include standardized developmental milestone metrics to help case managers and support coordinators assess whether a child’s needs meet the definition of extraordinary care and should be further assessed for certain tasks/supports. This may include changes in the number of service hours children are approved to receive. The new assessment tool will take effect on October 1, 2025, and will be applied during each member’s regularly scheduled quarterly review thereafter.”
A spokeswoman for Governor Katie Hobbs said the policy changes were necessary to ensure the state funded appropriate treatments for children with special needs. Hobbs promised there would be alternatives beyond PPCG for families who relied on that service model.
“These changes were made to ensure services remain clinically appropriate for children while protecting the long-term viability of critical programs,” said Hobbs press secretary Liliana Soto. “We also recognize the need for additional support beyond these assessed services and our office, in collaboration with AHCCCS and DES, is actively exploring solutions to provide connections for families navigating these transitions.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Jun 29, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona Senate Republicans are sounding the alarm after the reported murder of another inmate last week at the Lewis Prison Complex, pushing the number of inmate homicides in the state’s prison system to 11 in the current fiscal year — a dramatic rise compared to an average of two per year over the previous four years.
The lawmakers are calling on Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) Director Ryan Thornell and Governor Katie Hobbs to address what they describe as a growing public safety crisis behind prison walls.
“This troubling news comes on the very day Director Thornell was expected to respond to my request for records concerning the department’s internal operations,” said Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Kevin Payne. “We’re running out of time to identify and fix the security failures within our correctional system. We’re not just talking about inmates — our officers are increasingly at risk, too.”
According to Payne, in addition to the suspected homicide at Lewis Prison, there was also a recent incident at a Florence facility in which several correctional officers were assaulted.
Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp placed blame on a mix of staffing shortages and what she characterized as overly lenient inmate policies. “Our corrections officers face the very real threat of violence every day. ADCRR’s current policies have given inmates more freedom than is appropriate for safety and order. Governor Hobbs must step up and reassert control over our correctional institutions,” she said.
Majority Whip Frank Carroll added, “A core responsibility of the government is to protect its citizens — that includes ensuring state prisons are secure and functional. Eleven inmate homicides in one year is unacceptable. Arizona is clearly failing on this front.”
Senate Military Affairs and Border Security Committee Chairman David Gowan echoed similar concerns and criticized what he called a lack of support from the executive branch. “Our prisons are underfunded, understaffed, and overrun by criminal activity,” he said. “We’ve put forward common-sense solutions, but the Governor continues to resist Republican efforts to fix these systemic problems.”
Republican lawmakers have previously introduced proposals to boost staffing, increase officer pay, and improve security infrastructure, but say those initiatives have been stymied by the administration.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 16, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill to provide restitution to individuals harmed by gender transitions they obtained as minors.
The legislation, Senate Bill 1586, sought to expand civil liability on health care professionals or physicians who provide gender transition or transition procedures.
Under the bill, health care professionals and physicians that provide gender transition procedures for a minor would have been strictly and personally liable for all costs associated with subsequent detransition procedures for that minor within 25 years after the gender transition procedure. Individuals who undergo a detransition procedure would be able to bring a civil action lawsuit against the health care professional or physician who provided their gender transition procedure before turning 26 years old.
The bill would have also prohibited the health care professionals or physicians from obtaining a contractual waiver of liability for gender transition procedures.
In her veto letter, Hobbs said the bill was redundant given present medical malpractice statutes, and she further stated the bill was not a priority compared to Arizonans’ current needs.
“Medical malpractice statutes currently exist to give patients a private right of action related to matters of informed consent,” stated Hobbs. “This bill will not increase opportunity, security or freedom for Arizonans. I encourage the legislature to join with me in prioritizing legislation that will lower costs, protect the border, create jobs, and secure our water future.”
The bill author, Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp, issued a press release accusing Hobbs of allying herself with “radical left-wing ideology” and ignoring harms endured by children who have undergone gender transition procedures.
“There have been many tragic stories about children who have submitted to life-altering surgeries to change their gender – only to experience awful repercussions later on when they mature,” said Shamp. “Unfortunately, Governor Hobbs and her band of Democrat allies would rather these children’s lives be forever changed in one of the worst ways imaginable to satisfy their extreme ideological lust. Republicans will not stand for this callousness and endorsement of defacto child abuse. We will continue to fight on behalf of our precious sons and daughters until these inhumane and ungodly practices are abolished.”
Shamp later indicated she would take another run at securing restitutions for individuals who underwent gender transition procedures while they were minors.
“I will never stop fighting for children who are being butchered by this ungodly and inhumane practice,” said Shamp.
Arizona law already bars health care professionals and physicians from providing gender transition procedures. The state legislature passed the prohibition in 2022. Per the Kaiser Family Foundation, less than three percent of minors identify as transgender.
Although surgical procedures were prohibited, the law didn’t speak to the prescription of drugs impacting sex-based hormones. Health care providers continued prescribing puberty blockers and hormone replacements to minors. It wasn’t until earlier this year that providers known for these prescriptions, like Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Planned Parenthood of Arizona, ceased issuing them in order to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting gender transitions for minors.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | May 16, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2700 on Monday which would have compelled the Arizona State Board of Education to include Geography in its prescribed competency requirements for graduation from high school and defined that instruction to include instruction accurately referring to the Gulf of America.
In her veto letter to Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro, Hobbs chose to adopt an adversarial, scolding tone toward Republican leaders.
Hobbs wrote, “Today, I vetoed House Bill 2700. Arizonans want us to work together to lower costs, secure the border, create jobs, and protect public education. Instead of joining with me to do that, this Legislature has chosen to attempt to dictate how teachers refer to geographic features. I encourage you to refocus your time and energy on solving real problems for Arizonans.”
State Rep. Teresa Martinez (R-LD16) held a different view however and emphasized the importance of accurate and patriotic instruction for Arizona students: “It’s important to start teaching pro-America to our students. What better way to promote a patriotic country and teach children about patriotism than to start calling it Gulf of America and taking pride in that?”
While making her disapproval of the bill clear, Hobbs called upon Republican legislators to “work together to lower costs, secure the border, create jobs, and protect public education,” despite her recent vetoes, which have thrown aside meaningful reforms in all four policies.
In 2023, Hobbs infamously vetoed SB 1184 which would have eliminated rental taxes that drive up the monthly rent of millions of Arizonans, and SB 1063 which would have banned sales taxes on groceries. The sponsor of SB 1063, Senator Sonny Borrelli, said that Hobbs “would rather have windfall taxes go to cities on the backs of people that need to survive on essential items like groceries consumed at home.”
On Border Security, Hobbs vetoed the Arizona Immigration Cooperation and Enforcement (ICE) Act, SB 1164 this April, and SB 1610 earlier this month, which would have required county detention facilities to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by providing access to data on illegal aliens arrested for serious crimes.
On the subject of Jobs, Hobbs drew severe criticism from Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp (R-LD29) when she vetoed SB 1584.
“The Governor despicably vetoing this bill demonstrates her support for discrimination and a lack of leadership for refusing to push back against fellow Democrats who support these unethical hiring practices,” Shamp said at the time. ” I am extremely disappointed, yet not surprised, that Hobbs continues to appeal to the radical left with her tone-deaf veto decisions, rather than support legislation to reform workplace policies that prioritize anything other than talent and hard work. It’s truly petrifying that we have a governor who can, without shame, prioritize discrimination and favoritism, over unity and respect for every Arizonan.”
Hobbs also vetoed another school related bill, SB 1050, sponsored by Senator Vince Leach (R-LD17) in April. The bipartisan measure would have directed tax dollars from Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) to schools by prohibiting the abatement of school district-designated tax revenues. “This was a missed opportunity by the Governor,” Leach told AZ Free News. “She says she supports education funding, but her veto suggests otherwise.”
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.
