by Staff Reporter | May 23, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs announced that she would be recognizing birth control as a right, starting with state employees.
The governor issued an executive order on Monday announcing free birth control for state employees, and ordered the state’s Medicaid agency, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), to expand contraception access to its members.
The state already issues oral contraceptives to employees at no cost, but only through a prescription. Hobbs’ executive order got rid of the prescription requirement, ordering the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) to cover the cost of current and future over-the-counter contraceptives for state employees.
Hobbs referenced Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli’s take on contraceptives as a criticism of Republicans hesitant to make birth control a right for Arizonans through legislation dubbed the “Right to Contraception Act.”
“While members of our legislature would rather tell Arizona women to put aspirin between their knees than pass the Arizona Right to Contraception Act, I will continue to do everything in my power to protect our reproductive freedom and ensure every Arizonan can access contraception,” said Hobbs.
Earlier this month, the governor signed into law a repeal of the longstanding and, until the past year, dormant total abortion ban. Now, state law only restricts abortions after 15 weeks.
The governor’s most recent executive order declared that contraceptives qualify as “essential health benefits” (EHB) required of health plans by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare.” And, recent changes to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) enabled states to have more flexibility to determine its EHB-benchmark plan set of benefits.
Only the prescription contraceptives qualified as EHB, not over-the-counter ones. Hobbs’ executive order changed that. For now, that only applies to Opill, the only FDA-approved over-the-counter birth control option.
Excluding the universities and Board of Regents, both of which operate their own personnel systems, nearly 56 percent of the state’s nearly 38,300-strong workforce is female: around 21,300 individuals.
Age ranges weren’t defined by ADOA’s annual report, though the average age across both genders was about 44 years old, under the average age of menopause.
The retail price of Opill, the over-the-counter targeted by Hobbs’ executive order, retails at up to $20 per month for a one-month supply.
ASU has more than 20,600 employees. According to their last 10-year report of campus demographics ending in 2022, the university had nearly 10,600 female employees, though the age ranges weren’t disclosed.
The University of Arizona reported nearly 16,700 employees last fall, with about 56 percent of them identifying as female. Age wasn’t disclosed.
Northern Arizona University’s annual report shared they had over 4,600 total faculty and staff last year, not distinguished by gender or age.
ADOA will also be required to provide several reports to Hobbs’ office, one of which will be on benefits and feasibility of access expansion for state employees. That report will be due by June 30.
Another report with ADOA and the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions will study the benefits and feasibility of a new Arizona Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan mandating reproductive healthcare benefits for individual and small group private health insurance plans, including prescription and over-the-counter contraceptives, reversible contraceptives, infertility treatment, and in vitro fertilization.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | May 17, 2024 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
Illegal immigration is the number one issue heading into November’s election, and Democrats have no one to thank but themselves. Over the past three years, the left has single-handedly created an open-border disaster under the neglectful policies of a Biden administration that has completely abandoned its constitutional duty to protect each state from invasion. As ground zero for the current border crisis, the people of Arizona know this all too well.
A surge in illegal immigrants in the Tucson Border Sector along with a dramatic rise in the number of “gotaways” has left our state on edge. Meanwhile, cartel violence has increased near southern Arizona communities, and we’ve even seen a report revealing that thousands of “special interest aliens” from mostly Middle Eastern countries have been apprehended while crossing the border illegally in the past two years. And that’s just barely scratching the surface of the catastrophe that has become our border.
You would think that the governor of a state facing a daily invasion would do something, but Katie Hobbs has proven time and time again that she would rather ignore the problem and hope it goes away. So, after Hobbs vetoed the Arizona Border Invasion Act (SB 1231), which would have significantly enhanced our state’s border security, Republican legislators decided it was time to allow voters to take matters into their own hands through the Secure the Border Act (HCR 2060). And the response from Democrats has been telling…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Daniel Stefanski | May 13, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans and Democrats stepped up their messaging war after a legislative effort to launch a border-related ballot referral commenced in the state Senate.
On Wednesday, the Arizona Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security held a hearing to consider HCR 2060, the newly amended ballot referral from Republicans to deal with the border crisis affecting the state.
Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, took a proactive approach to opposing the legislative effort, issuing a statement to adamantly express her disdain for the referral. She wrote, “Passing a job-killing, anti-business initiative that demonizes our communities is not the solution to our border crisis. The bill I vetoed earlier this year lacked support from businesses, farmers, and law enforcement in border communities. This ballot initiative won’t secure our border. Instead, it will put Arizona entrepreneurs out of business, kill jobs and prevent law enforcement from keeping our communities safe. Arizona should not pay the price for the federal government’s inaction.”
Republican leaders in the Arizona Legislature were quick to respond to Hobbs’ statement against their bill. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, the sponsor of the referral, said, “Of course, Governor Hobbs and Demcorats like her and President Biden always oppose real effort to enforce America’s border and protect its citizens. Their deliberate open-border policies are disastrous and people have had enough.”
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope added, “This is a completely illogical statement not based on any type of reality…The real question I have for Governor Hobbs is, what have you done on the border other than veto bills? The people will have the final say and THE PEOPLE want strong border security!”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, who attended a press conference with Arizona Republicans and law enforcement on Wednesday, stated, “This afternoon I stood with Arizona House Republicans, Arizona Senate Republicans, Law Enforcement and the Border Patrol Union on the Secure the Border Act. Fentanyl is pouring across the border. It’s getting into the hands of our young people. We must work to address the Biden Border Crisis. The voters will have a chance in November to approve this referendum and send a message to Washington DC. Enough is enough!”
On the other side, legislative Democrats shared their vehement disgust for the referral. State Representative Analise Ortiz posted, “Republicans lost on abortion, now they are changing the rules to go after our immigrant community and businesses. HCR 2060’s new language is SB 1070 ‘show me your papers’ law on steroids. It’s an unconstitutional, divisive, xenophobic, election-year dog whistle.”
Democrat members of the Arizona Latino Legislative Caucus put out a joint statement in opposition to the bill. They asserted, “Voters know that our state has come far since the dark days of SB 1070. Mexico is our largest trading partner, and our economies are intrinsically connected and aligned. This measure shows that Republicans are willing to sacrifice that progress and reverse our economic growth just to divide our state and hold onto power. We cannot, and will not let hate win.”
With the amendment to the original measure, HCR 2060 was approved by the Senate committee with a partisan 4-3 vote. It will now be considered by the full Senate chamber.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 3, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A recent Arizona poll had bad news for the state’s second-year governor.
On Tuesday, Emerson College Polling published its survey of swing states in the 2024 election. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, garnered 38% approval, compared with 42% disapproval from respondents (with 20% neutral).
Hobbs’ results were some of the worst in the swing states among her fellow governors. Her approval rating was the lowest of the seven polled, and her disapproval numbers were one percentage point lower than the highest – which went to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat.
The swing states polled were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The Arizona governor’s approval was two percentage points lower than President Joe Biden’s in her state. Biden obtained a 40% approval and a 51% disapproval.
Emerson College showed that former President Donald J. Trump held a four-percentage point lead in a head-to-head match-up in Arizona with current President Joseph R. Biden – 48% to 44% with eight percent of respondents undecided. When additional ballot options were added to the polling question, Trump maintained his four-point advantage in the Grand Canyon State – 44% to 40%.
Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, highlighted that “Independent voters break for Trump over Biden in Arizona (48%-38%).
The country is quickly heading toward the November 2024 election, with Arizona figuring to feature a prominent role in determining the individual who will assume the reins of the Executive Branch of the nation for the next four years. Most polls this year have shown that President Trump has built a lead over Biden in Arizona, though much time remains until the fall showdown.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Apr 22, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona Republican lawmaker is cheering on the success of her efforts to protect children in her state this legislative session.
Earlier this week, Senator Janae Shamp issued a press release to highlight two of her bills that were recently signed into law by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs. Those bills were SB 1236 and SB 1404.
According to the legislative fact sheets for both proposals, SB 1236 would “modif[y] offender age thresholds that require the Department of Public Safety to include offenders of specified offenses on the Internet Sex Offender Website;” while SB 1404 would “require registered sex offenders with legal custody of a child to provide name and enrollment information on the child and expand mandatory community notifications to include level-one sex offenders of a dangerous crime against children.”
Hobbs signed SB 1404 on March 29, and SB 1236 on April 16.
“This session, I made it my goal to be a living nightmare for sex offenders,” said Senator Shamp. “I introduced several bills, including SB 1236 and SB 1404, to protect our state’s most innocent and vulnerable, while increasing consequences for criminals who commit these horrific crimes. DCACs include sex trafficking, mutilation, prostitution, and commercial sexual exploitation. These crimes have lifelong, and potentially deadly effects on a child. Every parent and every school deserves to know who these criminals are in order to better protect their children.”
Both laws will go into effect in the State of Arizona 90 days after the legislature adjourns for the 2024 session.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
