Latest news with #ArizonaHouseofRepresentatives
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Republican calls out rank politics and ‘performative outrage' amid split on animal welfare bill
Photo illustration by Jim Small. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror One GOP state lawmaker has had it with the 'performative outrage' of some of the far-right members of his own party. During a debate about a proposed bill that would strengthen consequences for people convicted of animal abuse, Rep. Walt Blackman engaged in a heated exchange on May 20 with fellow Republican Rep. Alexander Kolodin on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives. Kolodin, a Scottsdale Republican and member of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, criticized Senate Bill 1658 for what he described as putting the wellbeing of pets above that of their owners, especially owners who are homeless or living in poverty. Blackman, who comes from Snowflake and describes himself as a traditional Reagan Republican, had just days earlier made a lengthy post on the social media site X calling out his far-right GOP colleagues for 'spend(ing) more energy policing ideological purity than drafting legislation.' 'It's got nothing to do with the bill,' Blackman said on May 20, in response to Kolodin's criticisms. 'It's got to do with politics. I've been down here (at the Capitol) enough.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The proposed legislation at the center of the debate was originally introduced by Republican Sen. Shawnna Bolick via Senate Bill 1234, which passed through the Senate with near-unanimous support but never got a committee hearing in the House. Blackman revived the bill via a strike-everything amendment (an amendment that wholly replaces the text of the original bill) to Bolick's Senate Bill 1658. Numerous animal rights organizations supported the measure, including the Arizona Humane Society and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Blackman is a U.S. Army combat veteran who said that he considers his dogs to be family members and that he, like many other veterans, depends on them to help him through the mental and emotional impacts of his time in the military. 'It is making sure that people who have dogs, that they are being responsible, that they are making sure that they are giving them clean water, that they are giving them the proper amount of food to eat,' Blackman said. 'This is a no-brainer piece of legislation.' The proposed law that Blackman was advocating for would add failure to provide suitable and species-appropriate food, water and shelter to the definition of animal neglect in Arizona. It would also expand the definition of animal cruelty to include 'intentionally, knowingly or recklessly' failing to provide medical attention necessary to prevent unreasonable suffering. 'I don't know why this body would want to be so cruel as to make it a serious crime for poor people to own pets,' Kolodin said of the proposal. The bill includes carve-outs to the shelter requirement for working dogs, including livestock herding and guardian dogs, as well as for the pets of people who don't have a permanent residence themselves. A clearly frustrated Blackman reminded Kolodin of those exceptions, to which Kolodin countered that there was not an exception for the medical care requirement. 'If you can't afford to give (medical care) to yourself or your kids, you're not breaking the law. But if you can't afford to give it to the family dog, now you're a criminal,' Kolodin said. 'That is cruel.' Kolodin called the proposal 'inhumane.' Blackman responded by pointing out that 'some of his colleagues' might want to think back on some of the cruel and inhumane votes or comments they've previously made on the House floor. A lot of things that I did as a Republican, I am not proud of. – Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake Members of the Arizona Freedom Caucus were some of the only legislators who voted against the final version of an emergency funding bill last month to ensure that Arizonans with disabilities didn't lose access to vital caregiving and health services. 'We would love for every person in this state to get proper medical attention,' Kolodin said. 'We would love for every person in this state to have nourishing food and water. We would love that. And we would love for every dog in this state to have those things too. But guess what? That is not reality.' Blackman told the Arizona Mirror in a May 22 phone interview that he was surprised that Kolodin said that on the House floor — not because Blackman thinks it was disingenuous, but because it doesn't align with the Arizona Freedom Caucus agenda. Kolodin, along with other Freedom Caucus members, have voted in favor of strengthening rules and restrictions on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides assistance to low income people to purchase food. They've also supported cuts to Medicaid, and the services it provides, including when they voted against the emergency funding bill for the Division of Developmental Disabilities last month. They have also supported legislation to criminalize homelessness. Blackman said that, as he sees it, members of the Freedom Caucus seem to always be voting against bipartisan legislation not based on the merits of the proposals, but based on a political scorecard. And statements from the group's leader, Sen. Jake Hoffman, at the start of the 2025 legislative session seem to back that up. During a January press conference, Hoffman said that the Freedom Caucus' top priority over the next two years would be to make sure that the Democrats who head statewide offices, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, lose their 2026 reelection campaigns. Blackman clashed earlier this year with Arizona Freedom Caucus member Sen. Wendy Rogers, of Flagstaff, when she blocked a bill that he sponsored which criminalized acts of stolen valor at the state level. Stolen valor means lying about or embellishing one's military service. Rogers and Blackman represent the same legislative district, but are political opponents, and she endorsed Steve Slaton over Blackman in the 2024 GOP primary election. Slaton, who owns The Trumped Store in Show Low, is a Trump loyalist like Rogers. But during his campaign, Slaton was found to have falsely claimed that he saw combat in Vietnam during his time in the U.S. Army. Blackman and Kolodin engaged in another heated exchange in April, after Blackman reintroduced his stolen valor bill as a strike-everything amendment to another bill originally sponsored by Bolick, circumventing Rogers' power to block it. Kolodin supported the original version of the stolen valor bill when it passed through the House, but was the single dissenting vote when it was revived. Kolodin said that the new version of Blackman's proposal included a provision that greatly expanded its scope: It says that any person convicted of the offense outlined in the bill would be disqualified from public office. 'We cannot open the door to allowing our courts to judge political speech within the context of criminal law,' Kolodin said. Blackman, in a fiery response to Kolodin, said that the bill has nothing to do with politics or political speech. 'This has nothing to do with political speech. This has to do with blood, sweat and tears men and women left on the battlefield,' Blackman said, at times yelling. 'The next time we have a conflict, I'd like to see whoever says 'no' on this board or in the Senate to jump in a Humvee and get shot at and tell me the service didn't matter.' Blackman told the Mirror that the first person he was criticizing in his May 18 social media post was himself. It was during a two-year reprieve from the state Capitol after serving as a state representative from 2019-2023 that he said he realized that he had gotten away from the values he believed in when he first joined the Republican Party in the 1980s. 'A lot of things that I did as a Republican, I am not proud of,' he said, admitting to his adherence to the 'it's our way or the highway' approach to governing that the GOP employed during his first stint as a lawmaker, when Republicans controlled the state House by a single vote. Since he returned to the legislature in January, Blackman said he's committed to working across the aisle to make changes that help Arizonans instead of scoring political points simply by voting against legislation because Democrats support it. Blackman said that he continues to support closed borders, lower taxes and free enterprise, 'however, I am not for putting my foot on somebody's neck just because they happen to disagree with me,' he said. In the social media post, Blackman accused his party of moving away from what he described as the traditional Republican values of faith, freedom and force to 'focusing almost exclusively on grievance politics and cultural warfare.' Blackman was one of several Republicans who voted for or expressed support for SB1658 during the May 20 debate. Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, described the legislation as 'morally right.' 'How we treat our animals matters a great deal to who we are as a society,' he said. Gress mentioned the impetus for the proposal, a 2023 animal cruelty case in Chandler when 55 special needs dogs were found to be in poor health and living in 'horrible, horrible' conditions. 'We didn't have appropriate laws in place to hold those owners accountable,' he said. Gress, who, like Blackman, has also been chastised by members of his party for voting alongside Democrats, praised bipartisan support for the proposal. The bill will still have to make it past a full vote on the House floor and Senate, as well as a signature from the governor before it becomes law. 'This is a good bill, OK?' Blackman said during the May 20 debate. 'Don't abuse your dog. That's all it's saying. Don't abuse your dog. It doesn't say if a person does not have a place to go — somebody who cannot take care of their dog — they're not going to go to jail.' Kolodin did not respond to a request for comment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Arizona Become the First State to Join Feds in Planning a Bitcoin Reserve?
Arizona has broken new ground in what's been a race among U.S. states to see which may become first to set up a crypto reserve as a formal part of their fiscal strategy, getting legislation approved with mostly Republican lawmakers in support. It's unclear whether Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, will look favorably on the legislation that was rejected by most Democratic lawmakers. She has vetoed a long list of bills in this session, and if she vetoes this, too, the matter is closed for the year. If it were approved, Arizona's inclusion of digital assets in its public-funds investments could even outpace the U.S. Treasury Department's effort to get it done, which still awaits a full accounting of the U.S. holdings before federal officials can move to build the reserve that President Donald Trump has called for. With the Arizona House of Representatives passing the crypto reserve effort in a 31-25 vote on Monday — three Democrats voted in favor — the state surged past others considering similar measures, including New Hampshire, where a bill has passed its House. But Hobbs has been in a budget dispute with Republican lawmakers. "Any bill not already on my desk will be vetoed until we have a serious, bipartisan funding solution that protects health care for Arizonans with disabilities," the governor had said in an April 17 posting on social media site X. That matter may have been resolved with her signature on a disabilities-funding bill last week. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona House revives bill criminalizing ‘stolen valor' claims after Senate obstruction
Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, speaks at a March 19, 2025, press conference about his legislation to criminalize some stolen valor claims. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror A bill to impose criminal penalties against people who falsely claim military service or honors that has become a political football once again cleared the Arizona House of Representatives, but its fate in the Senate still remains unclear. The chamber had previously unanimously passed House Bill 2030 by Rep. Walt Blackman, a Republican from Snowflake and U.S. Army veteran, which would have made it a class 4 felony to impersonate a veteran to obtain employment, government contracts or benefits. But that bill died in the state Senate after it was assigned to the Judiciary and Elections Committee and its chairwoman, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, refused to hear it. Although Rogers and Blackman represent the same northern Arizona district, they are political enemies — Rogers endorsed Blackman's opponent in the GOP primary last year and the two feuded openly on the campaign trail. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Blackman defeated Rogers' chosen candidate, Steve Slaton, who owns the Trumped Store in Show Low, a popular campaign spot for the MAGA faithful. Slaton falsely claimed to be a Vietnam veteran, and even allegedly altered his DD214, a document given to veterans upon their retirement that includes a record of their service and awards, to show service in Vietnam. In reality, Slaton was stationed in Korea between January and December 1974 as a helicopter repairman and he was never deployed in Vietnam. Rogers and Blackman have traded barbs over the legislation in recent weeks, with Blackman claiming Rogers killed the legislation to protect Slaton and Rogers claiming the legislation does not pass constitutional muster. In 2005, a similar bill was passed by Congress, though parts of it were deemed unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment. Blackman has said he aimed to avoid that by focusing solely on those who impersonate veterans for benefits that they would otherwise not be entitled to receive and adding that to Arizona's existing laws outlawing fraud. On Wednesday afternoon, the House approved a strike-everything amendment to a bill that had already been voted out of the Senate. But while the original bill had unanimous support, it earned a single opposing vote this time. 'This bill, for the first time in Arizona law, makes lying in the context of an election a criminal offense,' Rep. Alex Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, said when explaining his no vote. 'We cannot open the door to allowing our courts to judge political speech within the context of criminal law.' Kolodin said that, while he supported Blackman's original bill, the new version includes a provision that greatly expands its scope: It says that any person convicted of the offense outlined in the bill would be disqualified from public office. Blackman, in a fiery response to Kolodin, said that the bill has nothing to do with politics or political speech. 'This has nothing to do with political speech. This has to do with blood, sweat and tears men and women left on the battlefield,' Blackman said, at times yelling. 'The next time we have a conflict, I'd like to see whoever says 'no' on this board or in the Senate to jump in a Humvee and get shot at and tell me the service didn't matter.' Kolodin's other Republican colleagues also appeared to take jabs at him for voting against the legislation. 'You can explain this vote all you want, but if you are not voting (yes), you are not voting for the right cause,' Rep. Justin Wilmeth, R-Phoenix, said. The bill will head to the Senate next for a final vote. Blackman and Sen. Shawnna Bolick, the Phoenix Republican whose bill was amended in the House, have said that Senate President Warren Petersen has pledged to let the bill receive a final vote. If it passes the Senate, it will go to Gov. Katie Hobbs for her signature or veto. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In AZ speech , Trump ‘border czar' tells immigrants they ‘should be looking over your shoulder'
Democratic legislators walk out of a speech by Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's "border czar," in the Arizona House of Representatives on April 8, 2025. The Democrats held papers with the names of people that critics of the Trump administration say were wrongfully detained. Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez | Arizona Mirror Tom Homan, the chief border security adviser for President Donald Trump, stumped for the administration's mass deportation campaign at the Arizona Legislature on Tuesday. He waved away criticisms about civil rights violations and said that the plan will keep resulting in the arrests and expulsions of undocumented people without criminal records. 'If you're in this country illegally, you should be looking over your shoulder. It's not OK to enter this country illegally — it's a crime,' he said to enthusiastic applause from Republican lawmakers and law enforcement officials in attendance at a rare joint legislative session. It is not a crime to enter the United States without authorization, though it is a civil violation of federal law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Homan's visit comes as the White House faces increased scrutiny of its hostile immigration policies and accusations of flouting due process. Multiple international university students have been targeted and arrested over their political activism, culminating in the revocation of hundreds of student visas, including 50 at Arizona State University. And across the country, migrants with no criminal offenses, and many with pending asylum cases, have found themselves in the crosshairs of ICE. Most recently, the administration flew 238 Venezuelan migrants to a high-security prison labor camp in El Salvador known for torture, without giving them the opportunity to contest allegations that they have ties to a violent gang in court. Several of those allegations were based solely on the fact that they have tattoos, and ICE officials have since admitted that a Salvadoran man on one of those flights was deported despite an existing legal order prohibiting doing just that because of an 'administrative error.' The Trump administration is currently facing a lawsuit over those deportation flights and its use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to remove migrants without due process. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order allowing the administration to continue using the act to justify removing Venezuelans 14 years and older suspected of being gang members, but also mandated that they be given 'reasonable notice' to challenge deportation orders in court. In Tuesday's address, Homan defended those deportation flights, but didn't acknowledge the fact that the allegations against those deported remain unproven. 'We're not going to apologize for removing people through the Alien Enemies Act. They came here to unsettle this country, to cause harm…We will not apologize for sending two planeloads of terrorists out of this country,' he said, referring to the Trump administration's action to designate the Tren de Aragua gang, which the deported migrants have been accused of being members of, as a terrorist group. Homan traveled to Arizona with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to attend the Border Security Expo, an annual event featuring military-grade surveillance technology for sale. ICE director envisions Amazon-like mass deportation system: 'Prime, but with human beings' Noem kicked off her visit to the Grand Canyon State by joining local ICE officials in arresting undocumented people who are allegedly members of violent gangs, in a showy promo that has become a staple of her tenure. Republican legislative leadership, meanwhile, invited Homan to speak at a joint legislative session to highlight the majority party's willingness to support the administration's agenda. Senate President Warren Petersen, who is running for Arizona attorney general in 2026, touted border hawk legislation he's championed as proof of his border security bona fides. The Republican from Gilbert was a driving force behind the Secure Border Act, which made it a state crime for migrants to cross the border anywhere but at an official port of entry. An overwhelming 63% of Arizona voters cast their ballots in favor of the ballot measure last year. This legislative session, Petersen has sponsored the Arizona ICE Act, which would prohibit the state, cities, towns, law enforcement agencies and even schools from passing policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration officials. Petersen said the two policies are linked. Last year's measure, he said, allowed law enforcement officials to 'engage in the immigration process,' while this year's bill would prevent policies that inhibit the ability of Homan and the Trump administration from 'remov(ing) the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the streets.' 'We just want to let you know that Arizona will do everything we can to support you in your efforts,' Petersen told Homan during his introduction. In his speech, Homan denounced so-called 'sanctuary cities' that limit their involvement with ICE officials and refuse to comply with immigration detainers. Also called ICE holds, detainers are written requests that law enforcement agencies hold a person in their custody for 48 hours after they would have been released, even if they haven't been charged with any crime, to give immigration officials time to determine their legal status. Petersen's Arizona ICE Act would mandate compliance with ICE detainers and give the Arizona attorney general the power to take noncompliant law enforcement agencies to court. Homan advocated for increasing ICE's access to jails, and singled out former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio — who was in the crowd — as an example to follow. 'We had no problem when that guy was in office,' he said, pointing to Arpaio and joking: 'Matter of fact, he'd call us up if someone was in jail we might've missed.' Arpaio's time as the head of the largest county's sheriff's office was marred by rampant racial profiling. Nearly eight years after he was ousted, taxpayers are still footing a $314 million settlement for a lawsuit stemming from the former sheriff's policies. Homan also previewed the return of notorious anti-immigrant policies that became widely-rebuked hallmarks of Trump's first foray into immigration enforcement: family detentions and zero-tolerance policy. To defend the former, Homan reiterated the false claim that 300,000 migrant children are missing, and accused Biden administration officials of handing them over to unvetted sponsors that led to the children being trafficked. While an August 2024 report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to consistently 'monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children,' once they were placed with sponsors, who are often relatives already living in the country, immigrant advocates have said the number refers to a gap in a paper trail and not a case of missing children. The report noted that more than 291,000 had not received a notice to appear in court and another 32,000 received a notice but failed to appear at their court hearings. Additionally, the figures in the report span Biden's presidency and the last 15 months of Trump's first administration. To address that mischaracterized issue, Homan called for the return of family detention, a widely criticized policy from Trump's first term that involves jailing immigrant parents with their children and infants. He claimed it would help make sure children aren't entrusted to the wrong people. 'We can do DNA tests and make sure that child is with a parent and not a trafficker. We're trying to protect children. We're doing the right thing,' he said, to a standing ovation from GOP lawmakers and law enforcement officials. While both former President Barack Obama and Trump previously detained parents with their children, Biden strongly criticized his predecessor's use of the policy and ended it in 2021. Last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under Trump's direction, took the first steps to restart the program by publishing a request for proposal asking private prison companies to bid for contracts for detention facilities specifically intended to hold families. A Texas family detention center with a 2,400 capacity has already reopened its doors in anticipation. Homan also praised Trump's 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, saying it helped 'tank' border crossings. The policy drew backlash from immigrant rights groups who called it inhumane and it led to the separation of more than 5,000 children from their families. To justify it, Homan pointed out that U.S. citizens are separated from their children by local law enforcement officers when they commit crimes. 'Zero tolerance worked — the numbers went down. It's sad and unfortunate that families get separated,' he said. 'Law enforcement does it thousands of times across the country but there's a good meaning behind it.' Despite efforts to reunify children taken away from their parents beginning as soon as June 2018, just two months after the program was implemented when a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite the families, more than a thousand are still separated. A December 2024 report from a coalition of human rights groups, including the Human RIghts Watch, estimated that as many as 1,360 children have yet to be reunited with their families. And many might never be reunited: some parents were murdered after being deported, others are impossible to find and some children died before they could be returned to their families. Just minutes after Homan was welcomed into the Arizona House of Representatives and began his speech, the handful of Democratic lawmakers in attendance filed out of the chamber, holding up papers with the names of people printed on them that critics of the Trump administration say were wrongfully detained. Among them were Mahmoud Khalid, who helped organize pro-Palestianian protests at Colombia University and remains in ICE custody; Ranjani Srinivasan, another Columbia University student who also participated in the protests and chose to self-deport when her student visa was revoked; and Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran migrant who was sent to the Salvadoran prison last month because of an 'administrative error.' In the plaza between the legislative buildings, members of immigrant and voting rights groups Living United for Change in Arizona and Our Voice, Our Vote Arizona rallied against Homan's presence. The public was barred from the legislative gallery. As Homan and Republican lawmakers exited the chamber and headed inside the nearby Capitol museum, protestors circled the building's entrance and chanted, 'No hate no fear, immigrants are welcome here!' and 'Shame!' Sen. Analise Ortiz, who has vocally criticized anti-immigrant legislation at both the state and federal levels, told the Arizona Mirror that she and other Democrats were 'really pissed off' that Republicans invited Homan to speak. The Phoenix Democrat said her constituents, and those of her colleagues, are calling on elected officials push back on the harmful policies that Homan has advanced. 'Our communities are demanding that we fight against the Trump administration, which is just flat out denying court orders and defying the law to roll out their mass deportations,' she said, referring to the likelihood that the White House ignored a district judge's order to stop the deportation flights to El Salvador. 'It's terrifying what's happening in this country.' And while Republicans have held up the overwhelming support for the Secure the Border Act and Trump's recapture of the state in last year's election as proof that Arizonans want more aggressive border policies, Ortiz said she doesn't believe they want their 'coworkers or child's teacher' to be deported without due process. 'I do believe that the vast majority of Arizonans want order on the border, but what Trump is promising is the exact opposite of order. It's chaos,' Ortiz said. Democratic Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan echoed that her party is firmly opposed to the violation of people's constitutional rights, and said that Homan's invitation amounts to a celebration of the Trump administration's actions. 'What happens when you violate the law and violate due process is that we are disappearing people, and to have the federal government doing that in our names is unacceptable,' the Tucson Democrat said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Why Kyrsten Sinema wants Arizona to lead the way on researching a West African plant
Why Kyrsten Sinema wants Arizona to lead the way on researching a West African plant Show Caption Hide Caption Arizona lawmakers asked to fund a new medical research center Kyrsten Sinema appears before lawmakers from the Arizona House of Representatives stumping for appropriations for traumatic brain injuries. Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema advocated for $5 million in funding for clinical trials on ibogaine, a potential treatment for traumatic brain injuries, at the Arizona Capitol. Ibogaine, derived from a West African plant, is currently a Schedule 1 drug. But proponents believe clinical trials could pave the way for FDA approval. Sinema was joined by veterans who reported positive experiences with ibogaine treatment. They highlighted the need for alternative therapies for PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. The legislation, HB2871, passed the House Appropriations Committee with strong bipartisan support. Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema returned to the Arizona Capitol Monday as a private citizen, advocating for $5 million to allow clinical trials on a treatment that has shown promising results in healing traumatic brain injuries. Sinema has served as both a state lawmaker and U.S. senator, a post where she accepted campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies. She introduced herself to an Arizona House panel as a Scottsdale resident, said she is not working as a lobbyist, has no financial interest in the legislation and was speaking in favor of what she called a "passion project." That project aims to incentivize research on ibogaine, a psychoactive product derived from the root of a west African plant. It has produced favorable results in treating traumatic brain injuries among members of the military. House Bill 2871 would allocate $5 million from the state's general fund to fuel a competitive bid process to be run by the state Department of Health Services. The winner of the bid would conduct certified clinical studies on ibogaine, according to the bill's author, Rep. Justin Wilmeth, R-Phoenix. Wilmeth told the House Appropriations Committee that medical conditions among veterans, referred to for decades as "soldier's heart" or "shell shock," were only recognized as a post-traumatic stress disorder in the 1980s. Solutions have been elusive, he said. The goal of his bill is to develop a treatment that will help veterans heal, Wilmeth said. The bill passed the committee on a 13-1 vote. Before addressing the bill, Sinema took a moment to comment on her return to the Legislature. 'I see the room has been refreshed and the carpet is really clean," she told members of the House Appropriations Committee. She added she served on the same committee she was addressing when Andy Biggs, now a U.S. congressman, was committee chair. What is ibogaine? Sinema said she learned about ibogaine from two former servicemen who have worked on her security detail. Both saw dramatic improvement in their condition, which fueled her interest in winning approval for the drug from the federal Food and Drug Administration. Currently, ibogaine is a Schedule 1 drug, which means it is illegal because the federal government does not consider it to have any medical use. The certified clinical trials stipulated in the Arizona legislation could get the drug on the path to FDA approval, she said. 'It is a naturally occurring plant in west Africa," Sinema told lawmakers. "There is no major pharmaceutical company to bankroll this effort. So we must do it ourselves.' She also pledged to raise $5 million to match the allocation from the state. Protecting veterans: Arizona House panel unanimously backs bill protecting veterans from 'shark claims' Former service member: 'Psychedelic therapy is the future for veterans' John Soden, a U.S. Army vet, told the panel he received treatment for his traumatic brain injury at a clinic in Mexico in 2023. He learned of the treatment on a podcast hosted by a former Navy Seal and sought it for himself to deal with suicidal ideation. During his five years in the Army, he served in Afghanistan and Syria. One of his duties was manning a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. Its repeated firing essentially gave him concussions, he said, triggering fits of rage and other behavioral changes that were difficult to cope with. After returning from Syria, Soden said he spiraled downward and 'really hated the man in the mirror. 'I realized I had become something every serviceman fears, which is a liability," he told lawmakers. The ibogaine treatment has been described in trials as painful, risky and difficult. Soden said it was the hardest thing he has ever done, "but I won that war within myself." It gave him a second chance at life, he added, wiping away tears. He is now working on a psychology degree at Arizona State University and hopes to use it to counsel veterans. 'I believe that psychedelic therapy is the future for veterans," he said. Matt Ammel detailed his 17 1/2 years of service as a Green Beret, including "hard parachute landings," exposure to explosives and work on counterterrorism teams. By the time he was discharged, he told lawmakers he was "a (expletive) mess," like many of his colleagues. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis because of brain lesions caused by trauma, and suffered from constant migraines. The nine medications he was on did little to help, so he joined Soder in seeking ibogaine treatment in Mexico in 2023. Two years on, Ammel said, the relief he got from ibogaine continues and he's only on medication to deal with thyroid and endocrine issues. Lawmakers advance bill with strong bipartisan backing Lawmakers were generally supportive of the bill, passing it on a 13-1 vote. Rep. Kevin Volk, D-Tucson, said he was encouraged at the prospect of alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Rep. Walt Blackman, an Army veteran, said the $5 million allocation isn't enough, given the number of veterans in Arizona. 'I, too, suffer from TBI, PTSD," the Snowflake Republican said, referring to traumatic brain injury. The treatments he received from the VA, he said, were a waste of taxpayer dollars. Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, was the sole dissenter. 'I do think the Donald Trump administration should be taking the lead on this," Olson said, suggesting the research pitch would be better directed to new U.S. Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Other lawmakers voted "present," saying they needed more information on which entities would meet the bill's requirement to have expertise "in the most challenging neurological and neurosurgical conditions." There was suspicion the bill is targeted at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Sinema said the bill cannot be written to benefit just one company, as that would be a violation of the state Constitution's gift clause, and the bill is intended to attract multiple bidders. Reach the reporter at or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl. Support local journalism. Subscribe to today.
