by Staff Reporter | Feb 8, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The GOP-led Arizona House censured Attorney General Kris Mayes over remarks they say endangered law enforcement.
The House passed HR2004 on Thursday with only Republican support. All Democrats voted against the measure.
State Rep. Joseph Chaplik (R-LD3), the bill sponsor, said in a press release that Mayes had spoken in a manner that proved her lack of fitness for office. House Republicans are urging the attorney general to resign.
“This was not a slip of the tongue. These reckless statements, which she has refused to retract, put officers in danger. When the top law enforcement official in the state fuels confusion, criminals listen and peace officers pay the price,” said Chaplik. “Our officers deserve leadership that protects them, not an Attorney General who puts targets on their backs.”
Last month, Mayes offered a response to the increased federal immigration enforcement in a sit-down interview that political leaders from both parties said was inappropriate and dangerous.
The attorney general faces accusations that she effectively created a legal justification for shooting ICE and other law enforcement agents in an interview with 12News.
“[I]f you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force,” said Mayes.
Mayes later told KTAR News that Renee Good would have been justified in shooting ICE. Good was shot by an ICE agent last month after she began driving her car at him. Good was present on the scene to disrupt immigration enforcement operations. Her partner yelled at Good to drive after ICE agents ordered Good to stop and exit the vehicle.
“If you are really sure that they are ICE and they present a badge or they present identification, then I would not recommend using lethal force against them. But one of the worries that I have is [that] we have a Stand Your Ground law in Arizona,” said Mayes. “If you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and especially if you’re in your home or your automobile, essentially the Castle Doctrine, you can use lethal force to protect yourself.”
Gov. Katie Hobbs told reporters that Mayes’ speech was “inappropriate” and advised her to issue a retraction.
“It is the responsibility of every elected official to turn down the temperature and do everything we can to be very careful with our language about ramping up the potential for violence,” said Hobbs. “We are seeing across the county people’s fear increasing and the potential for violence.”
So far, Mayes has maintained that her remarks were misunderstood: she didn’t advise the shooting of ICE agents, she advised ICE agents that they were in danger of a justified shooting because they often wear masks.
“Arizonans do not want masked agents entering their homes without warrants. It is un-American and it threatens the rights and safety of everyone in our state,” said Mayes. “We have all witnessed the increasingly chaotic and dangerous activity of ICE agents in cities across the country.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 2, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Turning Point Action’s (TPA) recently updated scorecard grades the state of Arizona, as well as our members of Congress and State Legislators, on their alignment with or divergence from its policies and political positions. Federal-level scorecards were created for all fifty states, but state-level drilldowns were developed for six swing states: Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia.
The scorecard revealed a significant opportunity for improvement in the Arizona legislature, with many of the most prominent Republicans in leadership roles scoring below the 80th percentile. According to TPA, the conservative outreach organization, “has worked across the conservative movement to identify every scorecard and the legislation they encompass and provide an accumulation of scoring from across the Republican spectrum.”
Each state, policy category, and lawmaker (federal and state) is scored 0-100 and is classified from “Tyrant,” and “Becoming Tyrannical,” mainly for Democrats and some Republicans with a score of 49 or less, to “Turncoat” at 50, “Betraying America,” from 50-60, “Erratic,” from 60-70, “Becoming Erratic” from 70-80, “Losing Patriotism,” at 80-95, and for those scoring 95+: “Patriot.”
According to an explanation of lawmaker scoring from TPA, “Turning Point Action looks at each vote individually, identifies the category it belongs in and works amongst the grassroots to identify the conservative position. If the representative votes with Turning Point Action’s position for each bill or nomination, they receive full points. If the representative votes against TPA’s position, they receive nothing. Not voting, present, and abstaining from voting gives the representative only half credit, thereby diminishing their score for neglecting their responsibility.”
States are also scored in overall terms by “first finding the overall House score and overall Senate score by issue. Then the overall House score is added to the overall Senate score and divided by two to achieve the overall category state score.” States are accordingly ranked as being a “Tyrannical State” with a score between 0%-20%, “Becoming Tyrannical,” from 21%-40%, an “Erratic State” from 41%-60%, “Losing Freedom,” from 61%-80%, and a “Free State” scoring 81% or better.
As of this report, Arizona is ranked as “Losing Freedom” on federal matters with a score of 62.50 and as an “Erratic State” on state issues with a score of 41.69.
In the case of Arizona’s state legislature, the only “Patriots” recognized by TPA were Senator Jake Hoffman with a score of 99.40, and Representatives Joseph Chaplik with 98.05 and Alexander Kolodin with 96.10. The scores indicate a significant split between Arizona’s legislative GOP leadership and one of the largest, most impactful political organizations in the state and country.
Several of the most prominent leaders in the GOP were scored relatively low, such as House Speaker Steve Montenegro, who scored 77.27, labeled as “Becoming Erratic,” and Majority Leader Michael Carbone, who scored 71.43. Senate President Warren Petersen is listed as “Losing Patriotism,” with a score of 89.16 alongside Majority Leader John Kavanagh, who scored 83.13.
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 Staff Reporter | Jun 11, 2025 | Economy, News
By Staff Reporter |
The inventor and top distributor of the Taser, Axon Enterprise, says it will no longer be working with the Scottsdale City Council on their new headquarters.
That’s not to say Axon will leave Scottsdale or the state. Axon leaders clarified the company only intended to keep city leaders out of discussions to establish their new headquarters going forward.
Axon President Josh Isner announced on Monday the company withdrew from negotiations with city leaders on building their new headquarters. Isner blamed the “toxic” political climate of Scottsdale City Council.
“Unfortunately, Axon is withdrawing from negotiations with the City of Scottsdale,” said Isner. “The internal politics of the City Council currently make it impossible to reach an agreement. I have never seen such a toxic environment in my life. We put a great deal on the table and we tried our best.”
Scottsdale City Councilman Adam Kwasman said he was disappointed in his fellow council members for refusing Axon’s negotiations. Kwasman said he would work on another solution to keep Axon from leaving.
“[Axon’s] offers were generous and would have benefitted both Scottsdale and Arizona as a whole,” said Kwasman. “I am saddened that my colleagues could not share in a vision that would have reduced approved density, reduced approved apartments, funded police, and built an incredible partnership between the city and one of America’s best companies.”
Isner thanked Kwasman and Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky for their efforts to keep negotiations afloat.
“You came to the table in a solution-oriented and thoughtful way,” said Isner. “It was a pleasure working with you on this and appreciate your continued support of Axon.”
Borowsky, in turn, thanked Axon for their willingness to negotiate and expressed disappointment at the impasse between the company and the council.
“Unfortunately, there were too many hurdles to overcome in order to move an agreement forward successfully,” said Borowksy. “I remain hopeful that future negotiations result in a win-win agreement that works for the community and keeps this vital employer right where it belongs – in Scottsdale.”
Not all leaders representing the area were pleased with Axon’s actions up to this point.
State Rep. Joseph Chaplik accused Axon of navigating the dealmaking process dishonestly. Chaplik told Axon to make good on their threat of leaving the state by disclosing where they planned to move their operations.
“They have divided the Republican caucus and they are now dividing the city council. They do not listen to the people of Scottsdale, who I represent. They have bypassed all proper channels to resolve their land use issues,” said Chaplik. “Their tactics included bullying, threatening and securing close door meetings. This is not how a transparent company operates.”
Although these recent negotiations didn’t go Axon’s way, the company did see wins in other areas recently. Governor Hobbs signed a bill retroactively preventing zoning decisions from becoming ballot questions. The new law nullifies a referendum effort by 27,000 Scottsdale residents challenging Axon’s planned headquarters — under that referendum, voters would have decided on the proposed headquarter’s fate in 2026.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 1, 2025 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A proposal to help keep cash in circulation is moving on in the Arizona Legislature.
Earlier this week, the Arizona House of Representatives approved HB 2683 “to ensure that businesses with a physical presence in Arizona must accept cash for transactions up to $100.” The bill was sponsored by State Representative Joseph Chaplik.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of the bill’s progress, Chaplik said, “Legal tender is exactly that – it must be accepted. Millions of Americans, including the most financially vulnerable rely on cash for their daily transactions. No one should be denied the ability to buy groceries, medicine, or other essentials simply because they choose or need to use cash.”
Chaplik added, “Not everyone has a credit card or a bank account. This bill protects seniors, working-class families, and those who prefer the privacy of cash transactions. It stops businesses from turning away customers who are simply trying to pay with their own hard-earned money.”
The bill was overwhelmingly passed by the state House with a 45-15 vote. Earlier in the month, HB 2683 was given the green light from the House Commerce Committee with a unanimous 10-0 vote.
According to the press release from the Arizona House Republicans, the legislation would “prohibit businesses from imposing extra fees for cash payments and establishes civil penalties for violations. The bill does not apply to online sales or private contracts but ensures that brick-and-mortar businesses cannot deny customers the ability to use U.S. currency.” The release also revealed that similar statutes are in place in the States of Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Arizona Public Interest Research Group and Arizona Faith Network signed in to support the bill. Representatives from the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance, West Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance, National Federation of Independent Business, Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce indicated their organizations’ opposition to this legislation.
HB 2683 will now be considered by the Arizona Senate.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 20, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A citizen-safety bill has cleared its first chamber of the Arizona Legislature.
On Monday, the Arizona House of Representatives approved HB 2684, which “prohibits pedestrians from congregating or soliciting in dangerous areas such as painted or raised medians, highway entrance and exit ramps, and other locations without safe pedestrian access.”
In a statement that accompanied the announcement of the bill’s passage, State Representative Joseph Chaplik, the sponsor of the legislation, said, “Arizona ranks among the highest in the nation for pedestrian fatalities, and too often, people are standing or sitting in traffic medians, freeway ramps, and other places where no pedestrian should ever be. This law will prevent senseless tragedies by ensuring that pedestrians stay out of harm’s way, while also protecting drivers from the devastation of hitting someone in traffic. Public safety is not partisan – it’s common sense.”
According to the release from the Arizona House of Representatives, the bill stipulates that “law enforcement officers will issue a warning for a first violation, a civil traffic citation for a second offense, and a class 1 misdemeanor for repeat violations.”
Chaplik added, “With the passage of this bill, House Republicans continue delivering on our promise to make Arizona a safer place. The governor vetoed this bill last year, but we’ve addressed her concerns by adjusting penalties while keeping the focus where it belons – on safety. I hope she reconsiders and signs it into law this time.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Rural Arizona Action, American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, AZ National Organization for Women (NOW), AZ Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and Arizona Coalition for Working Families, signed in to oppose the proposal from the House Republican.
Earlier this month, HB 2684 was approved by the House Committee on Regulatory Oversight with a 3-2 vote. All three Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while both Democrats joined together in opposition.
HB 2684 will now head over to the Arizona Senate for consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
