New lawmaker profile: Rep. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix

Name: Katie Hobbs

Chamber: House of Representatives

Party: Democrat

Profession: Social work, contractor

Hometown: Phoenix

Legislative District: No. 15, which covers much of central Phoenix and stretches from parts of Glendale into Scottsdale.

Committee Assignments: Government; Health and Human Services; Transportation.

Previous or Current Elected Offices: None.

Highlights of Community Involvement: Emerge Arizona, which helps to train Democratic women to run for office.

Why She Ran: “As a social worker… as a profession, our role is to represent the most vulnerable people in our communities. I had the opportunity to do some policy work and I didn’t feel like their voices were really being heard at this level.”

Her Focus: “For the last 11 years I have been involved with domestic violence work, so it’s an issue that’s very close to me and personal in terms of the policy issues that I have been involved with up until now.”

A Bill: HB 2580 would expand the definition of school bullying to include electronic harassment when it occurs on school computers, networks, forums and mailing lists.

Reporting by Alyson Zepeda, Cronkite News Service