Arizona now enjoys nearly $7.4 billion in total assets, representing a 126% increase since Treasurer Kimberly Yee took office in 2019.
Per the latest local government investment report from the treasurer’s office, total June earnings among the four local government investment pools (LGIP) exceeded $22.8 million. Per the treasurer’s office, each LGIP is a fixed-income investment pool with multiple governmental entity contributors.
Pool 5 investment fund earnings exceeded $10.5 million; Pool 7 earnings exceeded $9 million; Pool 500 earnings exceeded $2.5 million; and Pool 700 earnings exceeded $686,000.
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee reported at the State Board of Investment meeting that the Local Government Investment Pool reached $7.4 billion in total assets. This is an increase of 126% since @AZTreasurerYee took office.
— Office of the Arizona State Treasurer (@AZTreasury) July 30, 2026
The treasurer’s office accomplished a record $7.6 billion in total assets last fall. The state’s Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund has also hit record highs under the Yee administration.
Recently, Yee secured the Republican nomination over incumbent Tom Horne in the race for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.
She has positioned herself as a defender of parental privacy rights when it comes to school choice funds. The treasurer remained in a lawsuit filed by a media outlet seeking records not kept by the treasurer’s office which contained sensitive student and family information, some of which were educational, medical, or financial in nature.
Earlier this month, Yee prevailed in that case in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
“We will continue to provide transparency regarding records in our custody, consistent with our statutory duties, while safeguarding confidential information entrusted to the state,” stated Yee at the time.
Today, we won our case against 12 News and Craig Harris to prioritize the privacy of Arizona children and ESA families. This case has been about protecting the privacy of Arizona's children and their families.
Yee also partnered with the State Financial Officers Foundation this year to produce a report on fraud and mismanagement of federal education tax dollars within state education departments and school districts. The report described oversight of public funding within education as more than bureaucratic duty, but “an economic and moral imperative” given the growing affordability crisis facing families.
The collaborative report including Yee’s contributions relied on more than six years’ worth of semiannual reports to Congress by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG), which yielded approximately 90 instances of confirmed and prosecuted fraud and abuse.
Arizona was not included in the report highlights. However, one Arizona case was within the cited OIG data, concerning the Bradley Academy of Excellence enrollment fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of $2.5 million.
I am honored to partner with @SFOF_States in addressing national education issues related to fraud and mismanagement. My office is dedicated to protecting taxpayers and promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency for Arizona families.⁰ Full report: https://t.co/UZWaeiinJEpic.twitter.com/vo60SfRo8H
— Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee (@AZTreasurerYee) July 16, 2026
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Stand for Health Freedom has endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona’s governor race, adding another national organization to the growing list of groups and elected officials backing his campaign. The endorsement was announced Wednesday by the organization and the Biggs campaign.
Stand for Health Freedom, which describes itself as a grassroots organization representing nearly one million Americans, advocates for policies centered on medical freedom, informed consent, parental rights, religious liberty, privacy, and free speech. According to the organization, it endorsed Biggs based on his record supporting those issues.
@andybiggs4az has a proven track record of taking a stand for health freedom, we are proud to endorse his race for Governor! https://t.co/CqSumVeHSu
— Stand for Health Freedom (@standforhealth1) July 2, 2026
“We must protect the medical freedoms of Arizonans and ensure everyone can make the right health decisions for their families,” Biggs said in a statement.
“From my bipartisan work in passing Right to Try legislation in Congress to pushing back against outrageous and nonsensical COVID mandates, I’ve fought for the MAHA agenda throughout my time as a legislator. As Governor, I’ll make sure Arizona is the healthiest and freest state in the country so our citizens can thrive and prosper without government overreach into health decisions. I thank the Stand for Health Freedom coalition for their support and I look forward to getting their many Arizona members out to vote in 2026.”
The campaign said Biggs has made outreach to supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement a key component of his gubernatorial campaign, including discussing MAHA priorities during the June Republican gubernatorial debate, television interviews, and meetings with health freedom advocates.
The endorsement comes as health freedom legislation and medical autonomy continue to be active issues in Arizona politics. Lawmakers introduced numerous bills addressing vaccines, medical interventions, parental rights, and informed consent during this year’s legislative session, reflecting the continued prominence of health policy debates that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biggs has built much of his congressional record around limiting federal involvement in health care decisions. In December 2025, he introduced the Putting Patients First Healthcare Freedom Act, a legislative package consolidating conservative health care proposals focused on expanding health savings accounts, increasing price transparency, strengthening health care sharing ministries, and other market-based reforms. Biggs also co-sponsored the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act alongside Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), the companion of a Senate measure from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
According to the campaign, the endorsement adds to support Biggs has already received from President Donald Trump, the late Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, U.S. Reps. Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, and Abe Hamadeh, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Maricopa County Supervisors Debbie Lesko and Mark Stewart, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller, along with several conservative organizations and more than 40 current and former Arizona legislators.
The Republican-led Arizona legislature has submitted a legislative package to Gov. Katie Hobbs that they say will further strengthen parental rights and protections for children.
Among these bills are HB 2249, which would expand on Arizona’s current parental bill of rights by requiring schools to notify and obtain written consent from parents prior to facilitating a child’s social transition of their biological gender.
Social transitioning includes the usage of preferred pronouns and provision of accommodations that align with the child’s gender identity to include access to nonbiological restrooms and locker rooms.
Additionally, SB 1095 would outlaw gender transition procedure referrals or procedures for minors, and SB 1094 would allow individuals to take a civil cause of action against physicians who perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors.
Arizona banned gender reassignment surgeries on minors in 2022, and excludes gender reassignment procedures from Medicaid coverage. SB 1095 extends that ban to medications, as in puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh (LD-3), who sponsored SB 1094, said in a press release last week that these latest bills were created in response to requests from parents.
“Arizona families have made clear that they want commonsense protections for children and stronger parental rights,” said Kavanagh. “This legislation ensures that parents remain involved in critical decisions impacting their children while protecting minors from irreversible procedures with lifelong consequences.”
State Sen. Janae Shamp (LD-29), sponsor of SB 1015, said regulation was necessary to ensure accountability for irreversible procedures, and that a lack of regulation would essentially subject children to political experimentation.
“Arizona children are not political experiments, and parents should never be cut out of life-altering decisions involving their own kids,” said Shamp. “For too long, activists have pushed radical gender ideology into medicine, education, and government while silencing common sense and ignoring the concerns of families. These bills draw a clear line.”
GOP lawmakers have had trouble codifying bills addressing the gender transition of minors under Hobbs. In accordance with the stance of the Democratic Party, Hobbs supports gender transitions for minors and typically spurns enacting statutory pressures on this modern social practice.
The governor has consistently vetoed bills which would impose restrictions on individuals who identify as transgender. Last year, Hobbs vetoed bills that would have prohibited amending birth certificates and driver’s licenses to reflect gender identity rather than biological gender.
Hobbs also issued an executive order her first year in office requiring state employee healthcare plans to cover gender transition surgeries. Every summer since taking office, Hobbs has flown the Pride flag above the American flag in honor of Pride month.
We dropped the Pride banner from the Executive Tower to kick off Pride Month. To our LGBTQ+ community: I will always stand up for your freedom to be who you are, love who you love and your right to live with dignity and respect. pic.twitter.com/ffO9InrjX0
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) June 2, 2026
Hobbs’ husband, Patrick Goodman, was formerly a counselor specializing in youth gender transitions at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
There’s also been resistance to Arizona regulation on transgenderism from the courts. In 2023, a federal court blocked Republican lawmakers’ attempt at enacting a ban on biological males who identify as females from participating in women’s and girls’ sports, the Save Women’s Sports Act. Petersen v. Doe (formerly Doe v. Horne) is pending petition with the Supreme Court.
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Arizona public schools would be required to allow students to attend off-campus religious instruction during the school day with parental consent under a Republican-backed bill approved by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Katie Hobbs.
The Arizona Released Time Education Act, SB 1741, sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14), would require school district governing boards and charter school governing bodies to allow students to attend released time courses during regular school hours if the program meets statutory requirements. The measure was transmitted to the governor on June 10.
Under the bill, schools would be required to allow students to participate in released time courses if the school receives written consent from the student’s parent. Course providers would be required to keep attendance records, provide copies of those records to the school, assume legal responsibility for students while they are under the provider’s control, and provide religious instruction for at least one hour and no more than five hours per week.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Legislature Approves President Petersen-Backed Bill Expanding Parental Rights in Education
The legislation requires released time course providers, participating students, or parents to provide any necessary transportation. Students would remain responsible for completing any other schoolwork missed while attending the released-time course.
“Parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, including their religious education,” Petersen said. “For generations, families have taught faith and values at home and in their communities. This legislation simply ensures government does not stand in the way when parents choose to incorporate religious instruction into their child’s education.”
The bill would require schools to award academic credit to students who successfully complete a released time course. School districts and charter schools would determine how much credit to award using only secular criteria that are substantially similar to those used to evaluate comparable courses, including classroom instructional time, course requirements, instructional materials, and student assessments.
The measure also provides that time spent in a released time course during regular school hours would count as instructional time and instructional hours for purposes of state requirements, average daily membership, and daily attendance calculations.
Released time courses could not be provided on school property, and school districts and charter schools could not incur expenses to provide the courses. The bill also states that schools may not deny released-time course providers equal access to money, benefits, or services that schools provide to other community groups or independent entities.
Arizona law already recognizes parents’ right to have a child excused from school attendance for religious purposes under A.R.S. 15-102. SB 1741 would add new requirements governing released-time courses for school districts and charter schools.
The bill also creates a private cause of action allowing a person adversely affected by a violation to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, court costs, attorney fees, and other relief available under law against the school district or charter school.
Petersen said the legislation is intended to strengthen parental choice while preserving safeguards around school costs and student responsibility.
“SB 1741 respects religious liberty, strengthens parental choice, and recognizes that parents, not bureaucrats, are best positioned to decide what is right for their children,” Petersen said.
The bill passed the Senate on Feb. 25 by a 16-10 vote and passed the House on June 9 by a 31-24 vote.
The proposal drew opposition from Democrats and secular advocacy groups during the legislative process. Rep. Nancy Gutierrez (D-LD18) argued during House debate that off-campus religious instruction would take away from instructional time, while Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD4) said the bill would be voluntary and require parental approval.
A staple of Arizona’s most conservative coalition of lawmakers is running to rejoin the state legislature.
Anthony Kern is seeking to once again represent the 27th legislative district, held by incumbent Republican State Sen. Kevin Payne. Kern and Payne are the only two Republicans in the race; three Democrats have filed statements of interest.
Kern last represented that district in the Arizona Senate from 2023 to 2025. Kern departed from the state legislature in order to make his unsuccessful run for the 8th Congressional District in 2024. Prior to the state senate, Kern represented the 20th legislative district in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2015 to 2021.
While in the legislature, Kern built a reputation as one of its more outspoken conservative members. This was reflected by his membership with the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and A-ratings for conservative lawmaking from the Conservative Political Action Committee, NumbersUSA, American Conservative Union, National Rifle Association, and Keep Arizona Free.
Kern held a number of committee leadership positions, including chairmanships of the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee and the House Rules Committee, and a vice chairmanship of the Senate Public Safety Committee.
President Donald Trump and Turning Point USA have been among a number of Republican powerhouses to take notice of Kern. Trump commended Kern as “an incredible fighter for election integrity,” and pardoned him from the 2020 Trump electors case put together by the Biden Department of Justice. Turning Point USA’s affiliate, Turning Point Action, has endorsed Kern.
Although the federal charges against Kern and other electors were dropped, Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes has pursued her own case. A court of appeals ruled last month in a loosely related case that Mayes illegally withheld communications in which she conspired with States United Democracy Center to prosecute Trump’s allies.
Prior to joining the legislature over a decade ago, Kern worked in municipal code enforcement and other public safety roles in the West Valley.
It appears that this background — combined with his repeated public commitments to limiting administrative rulemaking and expanding legislative oversight of regulations — has influenced a take from Kern that puts him at odds with other Republican lawmakers, though not with fellow conservatives.
Kern’s platform includes an opposition to automatic license plate readers (APLRs), such as the Flock Safety cameras. Unlike Kern, Payne as chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee sponsored a bill in support of APLRs earlier this year, SB 1111.
Other aspects of Kern’s platform include healthcare reform, proposing health providers must offer one single price for products and services, and health insurance premiums and medical expenses must be tax-free; and private property protections, proposing a removal of certain alleged loopholes to squatter prevention laws.
Kern has described himself as pro-life, an election integrity advocate, an opponent to illegal migration, and a supporter of parental rights and school choice.
He has lived in LD27 for nearly 40 years and attends Fresh Start Church in Peoria.
The Arizona Clean Elections Commission is scheduled to host the LD27 primary debate on June 22.
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