Arizona State of the State: Water supply, education major priorities, new governor says

Monday marked the start of the political calendar at the Arizona Capitol as the Legislature reconvened for its annual session and Gov. Katie Hobbs delivered her first State of the State address to a gathering of lawmakers and guests.

This year's festivities were the first in eight years not to feature Doug Ducey and mark 14 years since the last time the Legislature convened under a Democratic governor. The state's voters got an initial look at how a divided government, with Republicans and Democrats both wielding power, will play out in Arizona.

Hobbs concludes first State of the State speech

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs ended her speech, which focused on Democratic priorities like public education, after 42 minutes.

She invoked former Democratic Gov. Rose Mofford, quoting from one of Mofford's State of the State speeches: "I say to you, join with me in making these difficult decisions, and together we will journey towards the next frontier."

Open discussion important about state’s water supply, new governor says

Gov. Katie Hobbs called for “new and stronger partnerships” to address the state’s dwindling water supply.

She has ordered the release of a state study that she says will show portions of the West Valley are failing to meet the standard to prove a 100-year supply of water for new development and is failing to meet that target by 15%.

Hobbs expressed bewilderment that her predecessor did not choose to make the report public but said her decision to do so signals that she intends for water policy to be tackled openly and transparently.

A recent op-ed from a former director of the state’s Department of Water Resources highlighted the report, which had been kept under wraps, and called for its public release.

Lawmakers have worked on water policy, but more work is needed, Hobbs said. Several years ago, they passed the Drought Contingency Plan, but the plan's goals fell short when the ongoing drought sapped more water than the plan envisioned. In 2022, lawmakers directed $1 billion into the search for new sources of water as well as conservation.

Last month, the state’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority agreed to enter into discussions with a private firm on building a desalination plant in Mexico. That move was rebuked by lawmakers who said they were promised there was no inside deal to favor a given firm.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

What to know about Arizona's first woman governor, who was invoked in Hobbs' speech

Rose Mofford became the state’s first woman governor in 1988, rising from secretary of state to the state’s top office after the impeachment of Republican Gov. Evan Mecham. She had won election to the secretary of state’s office three times after being appointed to lead the office in 1977.

Mofford’s ascension came during state turmoil over Mecham’s reign, which had been stained by racist statements and alleged corruption that led to his impeachment. Mofford championed a Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, which Mecham had opposed. She was known as someone who could work across the political aisle but was criticized for commuting the sentences of two convicted killers.

She served for two years but declined to run for reelection and was followed by Republican Gov. Fife Symington, who took office in January 1991.

While Mofford made history as Arizona’s first female governor, her hairdo was equally legendary. She wore her trademark swirl of white hair piled high in a French roll that made her instantly recognizable.

Mofford died in Phoenix in 2016 at age 94, having served the state in some fashion for 51 years.

— Ray Stern

Hobbs wants to rein in the recently expanded universal voucher program

The recently expanded universal school voucher program “will likely bankrupt” the state, Gov. Katie Hobbs said, pointing to estimates that the program will cost the state budget an extra $1.5 billion over the next 10 years.

She said her proposed state budget will redirect nearly $69 million in funding to the base formula that funds all schools, rather than leave it in a program that hands out the money to schools that improve their test scores – something that she said harms rural schools.

She’s not stopping at funding changes. Hobbs also took a shot at some of the charter and private schools that have cropped up in Arizona’s school-choice environment.

“Any school that accepts public dollars should have to abide by the same accountability standards as all schools do,” she said, as the remark drew applause from fellow Democrats.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

Republican lawmakers walk out of Hobbs' speech

A handful of Republican lawmakers walked out of the House chamber during Gov. Katie Hobbs' State of the State speech after she said she'd veto bills seeking to restrict abortion.

Earlier in the speech, two Republican state Senators stood with their backs to Hobbs.

Sens. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, and Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, stood for several minutes facing the back wall of the state House of Representatives as Hobbs addressed the joint meeting of the Arizona Legislature. At the same time, Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, tweeted that she left the ceremony as soon as Hobbs’ starting speaking.

“It took 5 seconds for Katie Hobbs to begin legislating from the 9th floor, so I will not listen to her rhetoric for even 5 seconds,” Jones tweeted. “There are too many questions left unanswered, litigation still moving through the courts, and many concerns about the border, not pronouns.”

All three lawmakers had attended a press conference earlier in the day by the hard-right Arizona Freedom Caucus that attacked Hobbs’ issuance of three executive orders last week, including one that extends anti-discrimination protections in state hiring to the LGBTQ community. The caucus’ leader, Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, told reporters at the press conference the group would file a lawsuit soon to try to limit Hobbs’ executive-order power.

— Ray Stern and Stacey Barchenger

Hobbs promises 'historic investment' in school facilities

Hobbs previewed an “historic investment” in school capital projects when she releases her budget Friday. Arizona’s public schools sued the state several years ago to force it to meet its obligation to ensure schools and classrooms have adequate facilities.

Last week, Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a motion to vacate the lawsuit while the state tries to work out an agreement with the schools.

Hobbs said working out an agreement will spend money on the schools, rather than on attorneys.The capital funding trial, which was scheduled to start Monday, was postponed until March.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

Hobbs puts focus squarely on education, calls for lifting spending cap

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs called on lawmakers to support a resolution filed by Rep. David Cook, R-Globe to raise the spending cap on Arizona’s public district schools.

Lawmakers have known since last summer that the schools would not be able to spend the money they allocated without waiving the Aggregate Expenditure Limit. And despite a promise from former Gov. Doug Ducey to call a special session in the fall to do so, it never happened.

Without action by March 1, district schools will be forced to cut their budgets by an estimated 17% in the final two months of the school year.

This is not a new exercise: In 2022, lawmakers waited until the last minute to waive the limit.New House Speaker Ben Toma, when asked previously if there would be movement on this issue, noted it always gets done. But Toma, R-Peoria, offered no timeframe on when.

Raising the spending cap can only be done by the House and Senate. The governor has no role here, although Hobbs has a powerful bully pulpit that she made clear she intends to use.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

Hobbs begins speech at Capitol

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has started her first State of the State speech to the Legislature. The new governor is expected to address her priorities and how she will seek to accomplish them.

New Senate President, House Speaker at Ariz. Capitol

Arizona lawmakers elected their new Speaker of the House and Senate President, Republicans Ben Toma and Warren Petersen, respectively, with almost none of the acrimony seen in the U.S. Capitol with the recent election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The House elected Toma on a unanimous vote that was seconded by Minority Leader Rep. Andrés Cano, D-Tucson.

Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, was elected Senate president, but not without a polite little skirmish.

After Republicans nominated Petersen to lead the 30-member chamber, the Democrats nominated Sen. Raquel Terán the minority leader. But Petersen prevailed on a 16-13 vote, which ran along party lines. Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tempe, was absent due to a case of COVID-19.

Petersen took the dais, and accepted the gavel from Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix. As is legislative tradition, the oldest serving lawmaker presides on Opening Day until leaders are elected. Alston, a Phoenix Democrat, has served in the Legislature for decades.

The leadership decisions were made by Republicans two months ago in meetings that were kept secret from public view.

At a meeting following the Nov. 8 election at a local lobbying business, Toma ― who lives in Peoria — won greater support for the Speaker job from his peers than Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, who had received support for his big from a conservative grassroots group. Petersen won his post by just one vote, according to a member who attended the senators’ meeting at the Phoenix Irish Cultural Center.

On Monday, Toma took a seat at the Legislature’s dais after his official election in Monday’s opening ceremonies. He promised to listen to fellow House members and said his actions would be “in the best interest of this institution and the state.”

Debates “will be at times heated” in the coming months, he said, “precisely because we all care about the priorities.”

— Ray Stern and Mary Jo Pitzl

Illness keeps some lawmakers at home

Sickness kept a couple of Arizona lawmakers from attending opening ceremonies Monday.

Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tempe, stayed home due to COVID-19. He and his wife, Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, stayed home from most of last year’s Legislative session because of COVID-19 fears.

First-time lawmaker Rep. Leezah Sun, D-Phoenix, was the only one of 60 representatives absent during the afternoon roll call. She told The Arizona Republic she has the flu.

“I just don’t feel well,” she said.

— Ray Stern and Mary Jo Pitzl

Conservative Republicans denounce Hobbs' executive orders

Members of the Legislature who are part of the conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus denounced an executive order by Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday that aims to protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination in hiring.

A group of more than a dozen Arizona lawmakers, including some who support the caucus but aren’t members, gathered outside the state Senate building before the Legislature’s opening ceremonies to address reporters. The caucus would soon file a lawsuit seeking to limit Hobbs’ ability to pass executive orders, said Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, who leads the group.

Hobbs has issued three executive orders since taking office last week; two others address elections and homelessness. Her first executive order, issued the day she took office on Jan. 2, bans discrimination of LGBTQ community members in state hiring and in state contracts with private companies.

“Katie feels … that she is above the law and does not need to follow the laws that the Legislature passes,” Hoffman said. The caucus doesn’t oppose all executive orders, he clarified, but only those that “further” laws that area already passed.

The caucus is a chapter of the national State Freedom Caucus Network, which embraces right-wing issues including election security and opposing diversity mandates in schools and businesses. Hoffman, with Senate and House said the caucus exists to give the people of Arizona “what they actually want.”

He insisted the caucus was not specifically targeting the LGBTQ community in choosing this issue to oppose executive orders. Other caucus members groaned with dislike of the question. But two of the caucus supporters, Sens. Anthony Kern and John Kavanagh, have already filed bills this year aimed at restricting drag-show performers.

Asked if the lawsuit would include the two other orders issued by Hobbs, Hoffman declined to comment, saying the caucus was "working with attorneys and evaluating the scope, the scale."

He declined to say who the attorneys would be or who would pay for the case.

Rep. Lupe Diaz, R-Benson, who supports the group but isn’t a member, said he doesn’t “feel the need to bow to executive orders. They’re not the law,” he said.

— Ray Stern and Stacey Barchenger

These special speakers will address the Legislature

A Holocaust survivor and an Arizona Cardinals quarterback will address lawmakers as they open their annual legislative session Monday.

Hanna Miley, whose parents sent her out of Nazi Germany at age 7, will address the 60 members of the House of Representatives and their guests during ceremonies that begin at noon. Miley’s parents were unable to escape, forming the foundation for her lifelong exploration of loss, anger, the quest for revenge and the resolution of forgiveness.

In the Senate, Cardinals backup quarterback Colt McCoy will address the 30 senators and their guests. McCoy was sidelined for the past two games of the season due to concussion concerns, and his talk comes as the Cardinals announced they have fired coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Their talks will be live-streamed on Arizona Capitol TV, as will the rest of the day’s events, including Gov. Katie Hobbs’ State of the State speech at approximately 2 p.m. Hobbs' speech will also be live-streamed on azcentral.com.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

Nearly half of lawmakers are new to Capitol

Many of the new members of the Legislature could face a steep learning curve. The House will have 31 freshmen, although three are returning to the chamber after several years away. In the Senate, 10 members are new this term, including four who served previously, some as recently as two years ago. In all, new faces will comprise 46% of the Legislature.

Although Senate President-elect Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, offered a sunny prediction that the Legislature would wrap up its work in 90 days, or by early April, few are as hopeful.

Recent legislative sessions have dragged into June, and with a crop of newbies, as well a one-vote GOP margin in both the House and Senate, the chances of a protracted session are high. The previous session didn't adjourn until June 25.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

Gridlock ahead? Arizona Legislature convenes with newly divided state government

Hard work of governing, politics starts with speech

For Gov. Katie Hobbs, platitudes become practice starting Monday.

While her inauguration speech last week was aspirational, how the Democratic governor plans to accomplish her goals will come in her address Monday, followed perhaps more significantly by a budget proposal due Friday. The State of the State is an annual road map given at the start of every legislative session by Arizona's governor and, especially for a new governor, it can set the tone of how she will approach the Legislature controlled by the opposing party.

If Hobbs' first week in office provided clues, they were that she will strive for a broad appeal in tackling issues like water and affordable housing.

"Gov. Hobbs is going to continue to focus on finding common ground and meeting challenges with pragmatic policies," Hobbs spokesperson Murphy Hebert said. "The inaugural theme was 'An Arizona for Everyone' and her State of the State address will illustrate ways that work can start."

— Stacey Barchenger

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Legislature: Live coverage of Gov. Hobbs' State of the State