Key Points:

• Arizona lawmakers attended the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit

• Lawmakers engaged in policy discussions on a number of topics

• The summit allowed legislators from both sides of the aisle to network

A group of Arizona legislators spent three days in Boston earlier this month engaging in policy discussions and learning how similar issues are affecting governing bodies in different states.

Those who attended the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit on Aug. 4-6 delved into several topics with their legislative cohort, including President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, Medicaid and budgeting.

The bipartisan conference also provided an opportunity for some lawmakers to set aside partisan differences to converse with legislators across the political spectrum.

“We’re not here to get points for our political parties, and that is the spirit of all of our conversations,” said Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, during a phone interview at the beginning of the summit.

However, partisan issues still arose during the conference.

Arizona Democrats stood in solidarity with their Texas counterparts, who hosted a press conference during the summit to protest an effort by Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map and mark the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

The opening of the summit also provided a solemn reminder of the dangers of inflammatory political rhetoric as lawmakers from Minnesota and other states paid tribute to Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, who was shot and killed alongside her husband Mark Hortman on June 14.

“That was a really powerful and moving opening,” said Sen. Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson.

The tribute was one of the most memorable experiences for Sundareshan, who reflected on an incident that happened during the week in Phoenix when Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, received harsh criticism online after she shared the location of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel near an elementary school.

“Every time I hear about Speaker Hortman … I start crying because I can imagine (it). You’re in these positions and you’re trying to make a change and given the vitriol that is being fanned sometimes by our own colleagues where a danger exists,” she said.

Sundareshan also attended a packed session on the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill, where there was bipartisan agreement that the law would significantly affect state revenues, she said.

She recalled a portion of the discussion where a Republican and Democrat lawmaker both agreed that the bill would be “devastating” to states’ ability to provide Medicaid services.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty as to how we will be able to make it work,” she said. “It won’t be a simple issue of kicking people off of health insurance or reducing (access). It will include reducing coverage for people, and people have to therefore be kicked off of insurance, and all of the associated costs.”

Lawmakers from across the country found agreement on general issues related to a lack of funding for their state.

“Almost all legislators and legislatures face similar problems, which particularly revolve around not enough money to do enough things,” said Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills.

Kavanagh also attended sessions that covered practical topics, such as tools that can be used to help develop legislation, budgeting techniques and a data session focused on verifying Medicaid eligibility.

“They just kind of have a whole cornucopia of things that are of interest,” Kavanagh said.

Some lawmakers participated in various committees and worked to pass resolutions during the convention.

Rep. Stacey Travers, D-Tempe, sat on the Technology and Communications Standing Committee, where she sponsored a resolution calling for a bipartisan working group in the U.S. Congress to continue working on the modernization of the Universal Services Fund. The program helps pay for internet access in rural areas, schools and libraries.

The resolution passed the committee before representatives of all 50 states approved it, Travers said.

For Travers, the conference emphasized the need for more bipartisanship among lawmakers.

“We’re really here working for the people in our states, and that is important,” she said. “It’s important to make sure that we always keep in mind that we’re working for the people of Arizona — all of them.”