1 Republican, 1 Democrat quit legislative races after court challenge
Two members of the Arizona House of Representatives withdrew their bids for re-election after challenges to their ballot petition signatures.
New law extends counseling for those helping people in crisis
The way Melody Hernandez sees it, the trauma incurred by those taking emergency calls from people in crisis and dispatching help is no less than what occurs for her as a paramedic.
From hot issues to hot dogs, politicians turn to Threads to reach voters
Among the 100 million users who reportedly signed up last month for Threads, Meta’s new social media platform, were Arizona politicians from state and federal offices and from both sides of the aisle.
New American Leaders fuels confidence in political hopefuls
Sen. Anna Hernandez, D-Phoenix, gained the knowledge and confidence she needed to take the leap for state Senate last year after she participated in programs that the national, nonpartisan organization New American Leaders holds to help immigrants and their allies join the political process.
Cano resigns for graduate school at Harvard, creating fifth legislative vacancy this session
The former state House minority leader has officially resigned, creating the fifth legislative vacancy this session. Rep. Andrés Cano, D-Tucson, sent his resignation letter Tuesday to state officials including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Speaker of the House Ben Toma, R-Peoria.
Hobbs vetoes mainly partisan bills, draws ire for nixing elections legislation
So far this session Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed 92 bills, 22 of which had the support of at least one legislative Democrat, leading to criticism from Republicans about her treatment of bipartisan bills.
Override falls short after partisan fireworks
The effort to override Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto of a bill that had received bipartisan backing ran out of gas on April 25 when the Arizona House of Representatives mustered a simple majority vote – but not the necessary supermajority.
Rogers asks court to bar reporter from contacting her
Arizona state Senator Wendy Rogers is asking a court to stop a reporter who is investigating claims she resides outside of the northern Arizona district she represents from contacting her.
Bill would aim to stop electronic gas stealing, some lawmakers say it’s not needed
State lawmakers are moving to put a kibosh on one electronic method of stealing increasingly expensive gasoline, but not everyone is convinced that SB 1177 is needed, given that the theft of gasoline itself already is a crime.
House passes bill to extend trauma counseling to 911 dispatchers
The House on March 7 passed a bill that would add dispatchers to current law that allows for police and firefighters to be eligible for counseling.
Bipartisan support for election law change?
Election legislation led to partisan fireworks in the 2022 legislative session, but one significant election reform could potentially get bipartisan backing next year.
Bill bans mask mandates in public schools
Republican lawmakers did an about-face on facemasks in schools in the most recent version of the state education budget bill.