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.
by Jonathan Eberle | Apr 27, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Governor Katie Hobbs has signed SB 1585 into law, a measure that strengthens Arizona’s legal tools for prosecuting child sexual predators. The legislation, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp (R-LD29), received unanimous support in the legislature and directly addresses a legal loophole that had hindered prosecutions in recent undercover sting operations.
The new law modifies the definition of a Dangerous Crime Against Children (DCAC) to include crimes committed against someone posing as a minor—specifically when the defendant knew or had reason to believe that the individual was under the age of 15. Previously, a 2023 Arizona Court of Appeals ruling created ambiguity around whether offenders caught in stings targeting fictional victims could be prosecuted under the DCAC statute.
The change comes in response to two recent undercover operations led by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, during which 20 adults were arrested over a four-week period for allegedly attempting to lure minors for sexual activity. However, due to the appeals court’s interpretation of existing statutes, several cases could not be charged as DCACs, limiting the penalties available to prosecutors.
“This legislation closes a dangerous loophole,” said Shamp in a statement. “If a pervert is caught trying to solicit sex from a child by an undercover police officer, the offender deserves to be thrown behind bars—regardless of whether or not an actual child was present.”
Shamp credited Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller for bringing the issue to her attention. Miller emphasized the importance of equipping prosecutors with clear, enforceable laws to hold predators accountable. Under current DCAC guidelines, offenders face harsher penalties, including longer mandatory minimum prison sentences.
SB 1585 passed with bipartisan support, signaling widespread agreement among lawmakers that the legal ambiguity identified in the appellate court ruling needed to be addressed. While sting operations remain a key strategy in identifying potential abusers before they can harm actual children, legal experts had cautioned that unclear language in the law could undermine these efforts.
Now, with the signing of SB 1585, Arizona prosecutors will be empowered to charge offenders caught in these operations with DCAC-level offenses, provided that the defendant reasonably believed the victim to be underage.
The legislation reflects a broader trend in Arizona and across the country toward strengthening criminal penalties for child exploitation and digital predation. States have increasingly looked to clarify statutes around internet-based luring and sting operations to stay aligned with evolving law enforcement practices.
Senator Shamp framed the passage of the bill as a clear statement: “Arizona has zero tolerance for this evil against our kids.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 3, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp, who has spearheaded a raft of medically-related legislation, hailed the confirmation of the new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.
Along with expressing her approval of Makary, Shamp emphasized her commitment to her “Make Arizona Healthy Again” Agenda, complementing the national policy of “Make America Healthy Again” undertaken by the Trump administration.
In a press release, the Arizona Senate GOP explained that as a perioperative nurse, Shamp “witnessed firsthand instances of corruption within the healthcare system, big companies using influence to impact state agency operations, as well as negligent government actions and overreach leading to negative health consequences for Arizonans.”
Shamp said in a statement:
“It’s time to clean up public health in our country, and Dr. Makary is the right man for the job. I am so excited to see him as our new FDA Commissioner. As an experienced surgeon, Dr. Makary has a lifetime of exceptional service in the field of health and wellness. He will undoubtedly help President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. carry out their goals to make America healthy again.”
She continued, “Our food supply is full of toxins and carcinogens. Americans are incredibly overmedicated. I look forward to seeing his great work at the FDA to address these critical issues, and I am proud to support the MAHA movement with state legislation that is in lockstep with the goals of the Trump Administration to create a healthier society.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Shamp’s bill, SB 1586, is designed to create legal protections for children and teens who have been subjected to so-called ‘gender transition procedures,’ setting the ground work for potential medical malpractice litigation. Shamp also co-sponsored HB 2164, introduced by her Rep. Leo Biasiucci, to “ban ultra-processed foods containing harmful additives from being served in public school meals.”
In addition, Shamp has also introduced or co-sponsored several healthcare reform measures including: SB 1102, to prevent insurance companies from acting as the “middleman” from “unwarranted interference in the doctor-patient relationship,” which was signed into law last week; SB 1235, protecting the State of Arizona from potential anti-trust lawsuits by restructuring health regulatory boards; and HB 2165, which would prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollees from purchasing soda with taxpayer funded SNAP benefits.
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.
