by Matthew Holloway | Oct 7, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) and Kansas Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids introduced bipartisan legislation this week to help tribal communities access unused federal housing vouchers for Native American veterans.
The Tribal Veterans Voucher Flexibility Act would establish a voluntary process for returning and reallocating assistance through the Tribal Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program, known as Tribal HUD-VASH.
According to Crane’s announcement, tribes and tribally designated housing entities could notify HUD of vouchers they expect to leave unused during the following fiscal year. Returning vouchers would not affect their consideration for future allocations. Communities needing additional assistance could request available vouchers.
HUD would have 180 days after enactment to establish the process and submit a congressional report examining unused vouchers, reallocations, shortages, and whether the overall supply should increase. Participants could report unused assistance electronically, by telephone, or through the mail.
“Some Tribes have leftover vouchers they cannot use while others lack the resources to take care of our veterans,” Crane said. “Our legislation aims to resolve this longstanding issue by getting unused vouchers into the hands of Tribes that can put them to use. This is a sensible approach that makes better use of existing support without expanding the size and scope of the federal government.”
The existing program provides rental assistance for eligible Native American veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. HUD’s program guidance explains that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines initial veteran eligibility, including requirements involving access to VA health care and a need for case management.
Tribal housing providers determine whether participating households meet income requirements. HUD’s guidance generally sets the income threshold at 80% of the applicable area median income and excludes certain VA disability and survivor benefits from that calculation.
Rental assistance can support several housing arrangements, including single-family homes, apartments, shared housing, and residential treatment housing. Associated medical expenses must be covered through other funding sources.
The proposal follows earlier cooperation between Crane and Davids on tribal economic-development legislation.
Crane has been heavily involved in tribal health care initiatives. In December, Ak-Chin Indian Community leaders credited his support for the tribe’s selection for an Indian Health Service partnership supporting a new health center. In August, Crane joined Rep. Greg Stanton and Gila River Indian Community officials to mark a University of Arizona partnership establishing a medical school branch on tribal land in Sacaton.
In June, the House unanimously passed the Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act, which the lawmakers supported alongside Republican Rep. Jake Ellzey of Texas and Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison of Minnesota.
That legislation would place the Small Business Administration’s Office of Native American Affairs into statute and define its responsibilities, including outreach involving business development, contracting, and access to capital. An earlier version passed the House during the previous Congress but stalled in the Senate.
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 Matthew Holloway | Oct 1, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) received the 2026 Hero Defender Award from the John P. Mayhugh Foundation during an event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Hamadeh’s office announced the award on X, saying the foundation presents the honor to members of Congress for their work on veterans’ health care.
“Congressman Hamadeh is honored to receive the 2026 Hero Defender Award from the John P. Mayhugh Foundation today in Washington, D.C.,” his office wrote. “An Army veteran himself, the Congressman will keep fighting for veterans in Arizona’s 8th District.”
The award coincided with the foundation’s ninth annual Hero’s Journey Symposium, held Tuesday at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation Conference Center. This year’s theme, “Bridging the Gap — From Trauma to Transformation,” focused on the effects of trauma and potential paths from what the foundation calls “wounds to wellness.”
The symposium brought together researchers, physicians, military leaders, public policy specialists, and community advocates for discussions involving family mental health, emerging science and technology, patient-centered care, healing arts, and trauma-informed treatment.
The John P. Mayhugh Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization in 2017 in memory of John Powell Mayhugh, who died at age 27 from an opioid overdose after experiencing addiction connected to secondary post-traumatic stress. His parents, retired Army Col. Mary Lowe Mayhugh and Kevin Mayhugh, established the organization with John’s friends and colleagues to address systemic barriers to recovery.
The foundation works to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, addiction, and other behavioral health conditions affecting service members, veterans, and their families.
Hamadeh has served in the Army Reserve since 2016 as an intelligence officer and deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2020. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. His Veterans’ Affairs assignments include the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Hamadeh’s veterans-related legislative work includes the Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act of 2025, or H.R. 3767, introduced with Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13). Among other provisions, the measure would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide employment contracts to qualifying graduates of its Health Professionals Scholarship Program within 90 days of completing their training and licensing requirements. The House-passed version would also prohibit smoking on the premises of Veterans Health Administration facilities.
The House passed the measure by voice vote in September 2025. It was subsequently referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Hamadeh also introduced the CARING for Our Veterans Health Act, H.R. 6522, with Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) as a cosponsor. The legislation would require the VA to establish guidelines for tracking medical records following treatment by community health care providers and measuring the department’s performance in obtaining those records.
In June, Hamadeh and Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03) introduced the MEDIC Careers Act, H.R. 9140. The proposal would examine barriers preventing military medical personnel from applying their training toward civilian licenses and establish a Department of Defense grant program to help health care providers hire and train service members transitioning into civilian employment.
Hamadeh later introduced the Veterans and Servicemembers PTSD Emerging Treatment Review Act, H.R. 9547. The bill would direct the Department of Defense to report to Congress on emerging investigational treatments for veterans, active-duty personnel, and transitioning service members experiencing treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.
In July, Hamadeh also joined Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) in calling on Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to implement recommendations from an inspector general audit of the Veterans Community Care Program.
Hamadeh’s office said Tuesday that he intends to continue pursuing veterans-related legislation on behalf of his district.
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 Matthew Holloway | Sep 18, 2026 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona laws affecting property taxes, deed recording, and county assessor operations took effect Saturday, Sept. 12, the general effective date for the 2026 legislative session. Additional property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and their surviving spouses are scheduled to begin with the 2027 tax year.
“Ensuring the public has clear and timely information about changes in property tax laws is central to our mission,” Maricopa County Assessor Eddie Cook said. “This year’s legislative session brought meaningful improvements for property owners, especially veterans and individuals with disabilities, and protections from deed fraud – an issue that has surged nationwide.”
An earlier measure, HB 2792, took effect Feb. 12 and specified that the full property tax exemption for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating applies to their primary residence.
Under HB 4168, the full exemption will also cover a veteran whose service-connected disability status is total disability based on individual unemployability. The law removes household income limits for disabled veterans and eligible surviving spouses, and allows a qualifying surviving spouse to receive the exemption for which the veteran was eligible. Those changes apply beginning with the 2027 tax year.
A separate measure, HB 2120, adds a written Social Security Administration disability determination to the documentation accepted when establishing eligibility for a property tax exemption.
Property owners also face new procedures when recording documents. SB 1479 generally requires valid photo identification when documents are recorded in person at a county recorder’s office or recording kiosk, with exceptions for specified professionals and institutions. It increases the criminal penalty for knowingly recording a forged or false real estate claim and adds a thumbprint requirement for certain notarized documents.
The same law directs county assessors to establish a voluntary system by Jan. 1, 2027, to alert participating owners when the assessor receives notice of a change in property ownership or the owner’s mailing address. The Maricopa County Assessor’s Office said Cook championed the measure.
Other changes address how assessors work with property owners. HB 2173 allows tax officers to accept electronic responses and, when a taxpayer elects to submit one, an electronic notice of claim in property tax error cases. The existing deadlines remain in place, and communications that require certified mail must still be served that way. SB 1294 permits an assessor to retain a property’s classification for up to five years after destruction by a verifiable accident, unless its use changes sooner. That provision applies retroactively to Sept. 13, 2024.
Two laws change agricultural-property inspections. HB 2104 generally bars an assessor from reclassifying or inspecting agricultural property for three years after the owner prevails in a qualifying appeal, subject to specified changes involving the property. HB 2105 requires advance notice of inspections and a copy of the inspection report for property owners, and limits consecutive-year inspections of qualifying agricultural property.
HB 2327 allows eligible people to request broader restrictions on identifying information in county assessor, recorder, and treasurer records. HB 2950 allows counties and municipalities to establish tourism improvement areas funded by assessments on participating lodging businesses.
Finally, SB 1067 prevents certain county abatement liens from being extinguished by a property tax lien sale or foreclosure. Those provisions expire Oct. 1, 2028.
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 Yendi Parker | Aug 28, 2026 | Opinion
By Yendi Parker |
For anyone who has lived in Yuma, the sound of military aircraft overhead isn’t unusual. It’s part of daily life.
So perhaps it is fitting that an effort to significantly expand property tax relief for Arizona’s disabled veterans has roots here.
The reforms, championed by Rep. Michael Carbone, whose Legislative District 25 includes portions of Yuma and Maricopa counties, have unfolded over multiple legislative sessions. They significantly expand Arizona’s property tax benefits for disabled veterans, with additional changes taking effect in tax year 2027.
But the story didn’t begin at the Capitol. It began with his constituents.
Yuma resident and military veteran Josh Pembleton wrote the original constituent proposal and brought it to Carbone about two years ago. Fellow veteran Josh Wright also provided his thoughts and perspective as the idea developed.
“That makes me so proud, because it came from our citizens,” Carbone said.
Pembleton said the idea grew from conversations with veterans frustrated by Arizona’s existing property tax exemption system. Income restrictions and other requirements meant too few veterans were benefiting from the policies already in place.
He began looking at what other states were doing and saw an opportunity for Arizona to do better.
“I think it is more than fair to provide a benefit to those that have sustained lifelong injuries while providing service to our great country,” Pembleton said. “If the VA recognizes these veterans in reference to disability rating, we should too.”
Barry Todd, also a veteran, was part of the effort, listening to disabled veterans across Arizona about where the system was falling short.
“Our goal was never political,” Todd said. “We simply wanted the law to reflect the sacrifices veterans made and remove barriers that kept them from receiving benefits they had earned.”
That persistence eventually paid off.
Arizona now provides a full property tax exemption on the primary residence of qualifying veterans with a 100% service-connected disability. Veterans with service-connected disability ratings from 10% through 90% can receive property tax relief prorated proportionally according to their disability rating.
The reforms also removed the previous property-assessment ceiling for disabled veterans and provide protections for qualifying surviving spouses. Beginning in tax year 2027, disabled veterans and their surviving spouses will no longer be subject to the household income limits that previously prevented many from qualifying.
For Carbone, the changes represent a dramatic improvement in Arizona’s treatment of veterans.
“The thing that makes me the happiest is going from one of the worst to one of the best now,” Carbone said. “We want you to stay here in Arizona. And it is the right thing to do.”
House Republicans describe the resulting program as one of the most generous veteran property tax benefits in the nation. For those who helped push the reforms forward, the goal is to lead from the front while honoring veterans and making Arizona a place where they can afford to put down roots after their military careers.
Passing legislation, however, is only part of the job. Arizona’s county assessors now have to make it work.
Yuma County Assessor Stevie Seale said his office will be prepared to help local veterans navigate the new benefit when implementation begins.
“Starting in January 2027, Yuma County will be ready to implement this new law and make the process as clear and straightforward as possible for our veterans,” Seale said. “The Legislature got this right. This was an issue I advocated for while running for assessor, and it’s rewarding to see it become a reality and provide this benefit to those who have served our country.”
Veterans seeking the exemption will work through their local county assessor, putting those offices on the front line of turning the statewide reform into a tangible benefit for veterans and their families.
For Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, the effort fits a community where supporting military families and veterans is part of its identity.
“Yuma is a community that takes a lot of pride in our military and veteran presence,” Nicholls said. “We want Arizona to serve as our veterans’ home after they retire. We welcome them here in Arizona and in Yuma.”
That commitment has earned national recognition. Yuma was named a 2025 Great American Defense Community, one of only three communities nationwide selected that year.
As a Yuma resident of eight years and the wife of an active-duty Marine now in his 21st year of service, I’ve seen that relationship firsthand. Here, military service isn’t something observed from a distance. It is woven into everyday life.
That’s also why this story is about more than property taxes.
Veterans who choose Arizona after leaving the military become our community members. Helping them build their next chapter here honors their service while strengthening the communities they join.
And maybe that is the best part of this story.
A Yuma veteran saw a problem and wrote a proposal. Other veterans lent their voices. Their state representative listened and carried the issue to the Capitol. Lawmakers acted. Now local officials will help deliver the benefit.
Years from now, most Arizonans probably won’t remember the bill numbers.
But disabled veterans and their families may remember something far more important: Arizona made it easier for them to remain in the place they chose to call home.
And behind that statewide change is a story with roots in a community where military service has never been an abstract idea.
It has always been part of life in Yuma.
Yendi Parker is an English teacher at Yuma Catholic High School. She also serves as the Western Arizona Chapter Manager for Our America and 3rd Vice President for the Arizona State Federation of Republican Women.
by Staff Reporter | Aug 27, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
New legislation proposes that veterans receive the same benefit of reduced retirement age as certain reservists.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) introduced the Reserve Component Fairness Act to end what he says is an improper disadvantage to veterans who served on regular active duty before transitioning to the National Guard or Reserve.
Veterans won’t qualify for reserve retired pay until they reach 60 years old. Reservists who are recalled to active duty or certain active service in response to a national emergency, however, have that retirement threshold reduced by three months for each cumulative period of 90 days’ active duty or service.
Hamadeh’s legislation proposes extending that benefit to veterans who have completed certain active-duty service and go on to join the Reserve.
Veterans would still have to complete existing requirements under Reserve retirement rules, which includes completing 20 years of service, and accept the current statutory minimum retirement age of 50 years old.
The congressman said in a press release that the current Reserve retirement age reduction rules rely on a bureaucratic and arbitrary distinction. Hamadeh argued further that qualifying military service shouldn’t count only if completed after affiliating with the Ready Reserve.
Hamadeh disclosed that veterans brought the disparate treatment to his attention.
“This legislation corrects a situation created by bureaucrats who arbitrarily made a distinction between two service members who may have performed identical active-duty service under the same conditions,” stated Hamadeh. “This common-sense legislation changes that without creating a new retirement benefit or altering eligibility for non-regular retired pay. Members must still satisfy all existing statutory requirements for a Reserve retirement, including completing 20 qualifying years of service, and the current statutory minimum retirement age of 50 remains unchanged.”
Hamadeh is a member of the House committees for Veterans’ Affairs as well as Armed Services.
Of the 33 bills Hamadeh has introduced that are available on the Congress website, about 40% are on the subject of the military: 10 bills concern the welfare of veterans and service members, and three bills concern military equipment and resources.
If passed, this latest proposed bill could further complement the Trump administration’s goal of boosting military recruitment through incentives.
For two years now, that approach has reportedly worked. A cooling labor market has enhanced the appeal of new incentivizes and driven more individuals to enlist.
Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced that all branches had met or exceeded their fiscal year 2026 goals for recruitment months ahead of schedule. All branches also met or exceeded their recruitment goals in 2025.
Recruitment had hit a low in 2022.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attributed the recruiting highs as a product of the Trump administration instituting “back to the basics” military norms.
“This is what happens when strong leadership under President Trump, high standards, a return to perfecting the basics, and a mission that matters come together,” said Hegseth. “Americans are stepping up to serve because they believe in our country, our Navy, and our warfighters.”
The Pentagon told the Military Times that recruitment was at 103% of their target for this year.
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