Key Points:

• Democrat bills rarely surface in Republican-controlled Legislature

• Proposals mostly focus on affordability issues

• Replacing GOP bill with Democratic idea is considered ‘hostile’

With only a handful of their bills getting a chance to be heard in committee, legislative Democrats have turned to striker amendments to generate discussion around their ideas. 

According to legislative data, House and Senate Democrats have offered 23 striker amendments to legislation this session. Many of them aim to eliminate Republican bills and replace them with Democratic proposals aligned with the party’s “Affordability Agenda.”

However, only one Democratic striker amendment has been adopted so far. Senate Bill 1798, which establishes a financial aid awareness program within the Arizona Department of Education to make college students and their families more aware of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, passed by striker after Democrats overwrote a piece of their own legislation. The original bill was sponsored by Sen. Kiana Sears, D-Mesa, rather than in other instances where Democrats have attempted amendments using Republican bills. 

Some of the other proposals Democrats have offered in their strike-everything amendments include prohibiting price gouging of pharmaceutical medications, funding child care assistance through the Department of Economic Security, prohibiting digital shelf pricing, and establishing greater paid family and medical leave for Arizonans. 

And as Democratic proposals fail to progress under the thumb of the Republican’s legislative majority, these strikers have become a way for Democrats to force discussion on issues they believe are too critical to ignore. 

The chairman of the House Government Committee, Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, said on April 8 he recognized these attempts in his committee and as an increased trend this session from House Democrats. 

“What they’re trying to do is have their voices heard through a debate on the floor, knowing that the striker will get killed or they won’t be able to get those across the finish line,” Blackman said. “Because other than that, they won’t be able to get (their) bills heard.”

Of nearly 2,000 bills introduced by lawmakers this session, only 16 Democratic proposals have made it through the other chamber to have a chance at getting to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk. None of those measures have been the big ticket agenda items that Democrats proposed as their legislative priorities at the beginning of the session. 

“We’ve got ideas that are affordability all across the board, and it is very concerning that Republicans, because it happens to be a Democratic idea, don’t want to give them a hearing,” said Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson. “Unfortunately, that means a lot of these issues will not get addressed as long as Republicans are in the majority.

During a special House Appropriations Committee hearing on March 31 specifically hosted to hear bills before the end of regular committee hearings, the committee heard a “hostile” striker from Rep. Stacey Travers, D-Tempe, for Senate Bill 1519, which would extend the number of paid family and medical leave employers must give to employees.

The practice of offering a hostile amendment, or an amendment that the original bill sponsor does not agree to, is generally frowned upon by Republican members of the Legislature. Rep. Nick Kupper, R-Surprise, said he has a policy of voting against all hostile amendments to respect the original bill sponsor. House Majority Whip Julie Willoughby, R-Chandler, echoed his sentiments when she voted against Travers’ amendment and the appropriations committee Chairman Rep. David Livingston described Democratic strikers heard in the committee as hostile. 

“It’s not the policy. It’s the process,” Willoughby said.

House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos told the Arizona Capitol Times that his members have offered their amendments in good faith.

“Every single opportunity that Republicans have had to come to the table and negotiate and engage in good faith on these bipartisan solutions to lower costs, they have walked away and voted no,” De Los Santos said. 

Most of the Democratic strikers have come from House members. Ten members of the 27-member caucus have introduced striker amendments so far this session. Blackman said he understands some of his colleagues might feel frustrated by attempts to try to “hijack” a bill, adding that most Democratic members have not resorted to that strategy. 

“You have a tendency to blame the whole caucus,” Blackman said. 

Republicans have a different idea of affordability. They sent Hobbs a tax relief bill within weeks of opening day of the legislative session that included child care deductions, retirement relief and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime. They’ve criticized the governor for vetoing that measure and another that would align Arizona’s tax code with the federal tax policy under House Resolution 1, “the One Big Beautiful Bill,” which is expected to reduce general fund revenue in the upcoming fiscal year by more than $400 million. 

Hobbs has said she won’t sign a tax conformity bill until Republicans show how they plan to pay for the expected impact on the general fund. 

House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, have also criticized Hobbs’ proposed budget. They said in their March 20 statement that it would add $1.5 billion in debt to the state and it counts on unreliable revenue from federal reimbursements for U.S. southern border expenses and a Prop. 123 renewal. 

“While the Governor plays political theater, Arizona families are dealing with real consequences. This impacts your cost of living, your paycheck, your kids’ classrooms, and whether Arizona remains affordable for the families who live here,” Petersen and Montenegro wrote in their statement. “A temper tantrum won’t balance the budget, and it is not leadership to rely on voters to pass the funding we need after the fact.”

De Los Santos, offering an alternative, said Democrats could get some of their proposals through the state budget, which will require collaboration between Republican leaders and Hobbs. He credited the Democratic caucus during last year’s budget process for playing a central role in the negotiation process. 

Hobbs has proposed a $15 million home energy assistance program in her executive budget plan funded by a $3.50 nightly fee on short-term rental stays in the state. De Los Santos said that he is going to be pushing for that program in budget talks, as well as a repeal of tax breaks for data centers which is expected to generate $38.5 million for the general fund. 

“I think most Arizonans would rather spend that money on providing relief to Arizona instead of giving a special corporate tax cut to the data centers. We could fund the affordability fund by just repealing the data centers (tax break) and then still have money left over,” De Los Santos said.