Key Points:

• The governor rejected proposals to require warning signs for hotels hosting homeless people

• She also rejected a measure to require teachers to use the term Gulf of America

• Approved measures related to pornography websites and utility securitization

On May 13, Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected a proposal by Rep. Matt Gress which required hotels and motels to warn guests that they also provide rooms for people experiencing homelessness.

The Phoenix lawmaker called his measure “consumer protection,” saying that paying customers should be alerted to “keep hotels doors locked, safely store their belongings and report any health or safety concerns to local law enforcement.” And there would have had to be signs to that effect at every entrance.

Proponents argued there is evidence that many of the homeless are drug users, alcohol abusers or mentally ill — or a combination of any of those — a fact that guests should know. Foes said there is no evidence to prove they are more dangerous than any other group.

“We should not micromanage local businesses who have stepped up to help address our state’s housing challenges,” the governor said, saying lawmakers should engage in “more productive efforts to create more transitional and affordable housing options.”

Hobbs also rejected a bid by Rep. Teresa Martinez to force high schools to teach students about the “Gulf of America.”

The Casa Grande Republican acknowledged her proposal followed the directive from the president to unilaterally rename what has been called the Gulf of Mexico for centuries. She said it would have promoted patriotism and “start teaching pro-America to our students.”

The governor called the measure a diversion.

“This Legislature has chosen to attempt to dictate how teachers refer to geographic features,” she wrote. “I encourage you to refocus your time and energy on solving real problems for Arizonans.”

The measures were two of 13 bills the governor found unacceptable on May 13. That brings her tally this session up to 138 — a figure just five shy of the record the governor set in her first year in office in 2023.

But the governor did find favor with a number of other bills sent to her.

Most notably, she signed legislation sought by utilities that would allow them to sell low-interest bonds to cover certain debts, a move that companies said would save money for consumers.

That signature comes even though most legislative Democrats voted against the plan, saying it lacked protections for ratepayers. They also said it would make it easier for utilities to keep open older, more polluting power plants,

Hobbs provided no explanation for her decision.

Other bills approved by the governor include:

– Requiring those who distribute materials on a website, of which more than a third is pornography, to use “reasonable methods” to verify that users are at least 18;

– Mandating that those who have internet applications designed for children 11 and younger make sure the site does not display inappropriate or mature advertising;

– Overruling local ordinances that prohibit construction and noise before certain hours in the summer, a move that backers say will allow for work to be done during cooler hours;

– Making it illegal to use a computer-generated recording of another person if the intent is to defraud someone else. There are exceptions for parody, artistic expression or circumstances where a viewer or listener would know the recording has been digitally altered.