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Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Budget talks underway as Hobbs and GOP lawmakers negotiate spending issues
Budget negotiations are underway at the Arizona Capitol as the clock ticks toward the end of the fiscal year, but the governor's office, state House and Senate still have differences to sort out. The big picture: The Legislature and governor must pass a new budget by the start of the 2025-26 fiscal year on July 1. The intrigue: The GOP-controlled Legislature and Democratic governor don't see eye to eye on spending, Senate Appropriations Committee chair John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) said, while state Republicans still disagree over how to give their members a lump sum to spend on projects of their choosing, as was done in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Senate Republicans want $90 million to divvy up among themselves — Democrats wouldn't be included — with an identical amount for the House and a similar, if not slightly higher, sum for Hobbs. Meanwhile, their colleagues in the state House have balked at the idea and want to focus on larger-scale projects. What they're saying: "Many of the things our members pick are things there's consensus on … [I]t also provides an opportunity every now and then to get some local projects done that ordinarily would get lost in the shuffle," Kavanagh said. The other side: Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told Axios that House Republicans agree there should be some funds "set aside for legislative and executive priorities, while also balancing some statewide large-scale projects." That could mean small allocations for GOP lawmakers, or they could find money elsewhere in the budget to make up the difference. Meanwhile, Hobbs spokesperson Christian Slater declined to comment on specific points of disagreement between the governor and the Legislature. But he emphasized that Hobbs' budget priorities include alleviating veterans' homelessness, raising pay for law enforcement and firefighters, and making child care more affordable. Threat level: Legislative budget analysts estimated in April that the state's projected revenue growth for next year dropped to about $277 million from the previous projection of $612 million. The threat of federal funding cuts looms over the budget, as does the possibility of an economic downturn. Gress said the state likely won't be able to address those issues until after the budget is passed, with the possibility that changes will be needed later. "The most important element is we have a structurally balanced budget with sufficient cash reserves to address these known unknowns," he said. What we're watching: One reason for the delay in the start of budget negotiations was the extension of Proposition 123, an expiring provision in the Arizona Constitution that provides increased K-12 funding from the state land trust, Capitol Media Services reported last week. Republican lawmakers are looking to include protections for Arizona's school choice programs, including the controversial voucher-style Empowerment Scholarship Account program, with Prop. 123 renewal. Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler), who's been working on the Prop. 123 plan, told Axios there are still conversations "happening in the background" and it "could go either way" in terms of whether lawmakers vote this year to put something on the ballot.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Anti-trans bills and executive orders are reshaping campus life in Arizona
Pride flags wave on the building of a Community Church of Hope on 7th Avenue in Phoenix's Melrose District on March 3, 2025. The Melrose District is a very popular area for members of the LGBTQ+ community, with several businesses and bars that proudly offer a place for community. Photo by Brian Petersheim Jr. | Cronkite News Lawmakers across the country are introducing anti-trans bills at increasing rates, with the number spiking more than 28 times higher, from 30 in 2018 to 859 bills this year. These bills often make accessing health care and, some argue, the right to exist publicly difficult by creating legal red tape, which exacerbates mental and emotional distress. Some members of queer communities report feeling more vulnerable to discrimination in public, at schools, in workplaces and within health care systems. Currently, the Arizona Legislature is considering 11 anti-trans bills, in addition to two that have been vetoed. They would impact education, birth certificates, employment, health care and more. In March, the Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1002 in its third reading. It's now also passed through the House. For students under 18, written parental consent would be required for school district employees or independent contractors to call students by names that differ from the ones on their government-issued documents. They are also prohibited from using pronouns that don't match the person's biological sex. At a Senate meeting on Feb. 20, Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), who sponsored SB1002 and other bills like it, defended his vote, saying, 'This bill was very simply about parents' rights to direct the health care of their child.' He cited gender dysphoria treatment as a reason for needing parental consent. 'Some of these children that are transgendered may suffer from a psychological condition called gender dysphoria, which causes depression and, in some students, suicidal thoughts,' Kavanagh said. 'These students may be under treatment for this condition, which their parents arrange, and their health care provider may have said not to entertain the different pronouns. It would be dangerous and bad for your child.' According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), treatment plans for people with gender dysphoria include judgment-free therapy with supported exploration of the person's experiences and feelings of gender identity and expression. The APA states that attempts to force a transgender person to be cisgender, such as conversion therapy, 'are considered unethical and have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes.' Democratic senators spoke out against SB1002 during the meeting. 'There's no other way to look at this. It was a law that was intended for trans people to be bullied,' Sen. Mitzi Epstein (D-Tempe) said. Epstein reflected on her childhood experience and said she is thankful her parents didn't need to write a note justifying her desire to be called Mitzi instead of her birth name, Denise. 'By the time I was in high school, I think I was old enough to know what name I wanted to be called,' Epstein said. 'So this is a horrible travesty of freedom. I really dislike this bill. It hits me personally, and I vote no.' Along with state and national bills, executive orders from President Donald Trump are affecting queer communities. One of them, titled Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness, was blocked by federal Judge Ana C. Reyes. She called the order 'animus,' meaning intentionally discriminatory against transgender people in the military and having no legal basis. The executive orders also hit DEI, pressuring universities and other academic institutions to change their resources to comply with Trump's Jan. 20 executive order requiring government agencies to terminate all DEI 'actions, initiatives, or programs' or face federal funding cuts. Despite rallying club support and institutional efforts, many in the queer community at colleges and universities say they are scared and need validation that they are allowed to take up space. On March 5, several Arizona State University social media accounts' posts announced the university's systematic removal of LGBTQIA+ mentions from their pages. A search for trans-specific resources on the ASU website redirects to the Student Connection and Community page, with no mention of LGBTQ+ resources or clubs. Access to Displayname Changes and other resources have been consolidated into a drop-down menu on the Rainbow Coalition (RainCo) at the bottom of the page under Campus Resources. At the end of April, five Instagram accounts affiliated with the university reported that ASU's Global Education resource page had removed the T in LGBT. The page has a variety of guiding questions for queer students to consider when studying abroad. The reflection and research questions, along with things to keep in mind, are designed with students' safety and comfort as they travel in mind. The State Press later reported the letters were removed without the university's permission and have been restored throughout the page to include the T in every mention of LGBTQIA. Antonio Duran, the president of the, LGBTQ+ Faculty/Staff Association, acknowledged the negative ramifications of changes due to executive actions. 'We are seeing that an increasing amount of institutions are pulling their services specifically for trans and queer communities,' Duran said. 'Whether that's the closing of centers or the shutting down of staff positions that are specifically tasked with serving trans and queer communities.' Cronkite News reached out to LGBTQIA+ students on campus and got no response. Duran said this is because students are feeling unsafe and vulnerable. Duran said resources and facilities are still available to queer students and staff are doing their best. However, he said student organizations are better equipped to support one another as institutions comply with federal and state laws. 'Because many of the people who are in the staff positions are at-will employees, and they don't have a strong sense of job security,' Duran said. 'If they are told not to put on a specific event and they try to move forward with that, they do have the potential of losing their jobs. Student groups are frequently allowed a little bit more freedom in being able to put on events, and we're seeing this at ASU, where I think students are starting to step up and try to mobilize.' Alyssa-Leigh Alcantara, an ASU student and Planned Parenthood Generation Action officer, echoed the sentiment: 'We've lost the school's support, but we're gaining more support from clubs. … People are fighting back way harder, but you can just tell it has a really sad undertone.' Alcantara said the student queer community has worked overtime to support one another by hosting club meetings and private events to share information and resources safely. ASU students participate in about 65 LGBTQ+ affiliated clubs, covering a wide range of interests and experiences, from Greek life and performance groups to lawyers and drag communities. Qmunity, an ASU LGBTQ+ social club, hosts regular events that include movie and game nights, dances, professional workshops and drag shows. An ASU student who attended the Astral Allure: Qmunity Drag Dinner on April 9 and whose identity Cronkite News agreed to withhold to protect their association within queer clubs said, 'It's a space for queer people to just exist and be queer and not have to feel queer about it to finally be normal and queer at the same time. There are so many other spaces for all different types of people.' 'Right now, I know a lot of queer students on campus are feeling really, really disenfranchised and really not taken care of,' said another queer ASU student. Cronkite News agreed to withhold the student's identity. Alcantara noted that the increase in hostility has exacerbated anxieties and made the campus feel less safe. 'It's microaggressions. They are really small things, where on their own it doesn't feel like that big of a deal, but in the grand scheme of it, it does feel like a big deal,' Alcantara said. 'I go out with my queer friends, and I get text later, like, 'Hey, do you think what we did at XYZ location was OK?' And I was like, we sat down and did nothing. We are fine.' Topics like sharing locations, setting aside funding and packing a go-bag are commonly discussed in the queer community. While being prepared is important, Alcantara acknowledged that many, particularly trans and non-binary individuals, feel worn down by the bombardment of coverage, from social media to family and club facilitators. 'A lot of the conversation is like, 'Hey, I saw this. I don't really want to talk. I don't know what to do. I'm going to go shut off for a little bit,'' Alcantara said. Despite the fear, frustration and anxiety, she stresses the importance of learning from the past and being inspired by the resilience of queer movements. 'I feel like with everything that's been happening, it's easy to forget how much queer people have persevered,' Alcantara said. 'Learn your history, attend a few events, and watch a video on Marsha P. Johnson.' The Trevor Project's LGBTQIA+ Youth Specialized Services branch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline faces uncertainty after a leaked Trump administration budget draft proposed cutting all funding for the hotline, as the Washington Post first reported. The Trevor Project, the leading queer suicide prevention organization, estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youths ages13-24 seriously consider suicide each year in the United States. On April 22, more than 400 officials from educational institutions signed a letter to the Trump administration denouncing 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.' ASU did not sign the letter, nor did any of Arizona's other public universities. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. Call or text 988. 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Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Watch your wallets, Arizona. Legislature wants 2 massive pay raises
Fresh off clinging to their immunity from speeding tickets, Arizona's legislators are now working on a plan to give themselves massive pay raises. The House Appropriations Committee on March 31 approved not one but two proposals to bulk up their wallets. First, by asking voters to approve a nearly 100% pay raise. Under this plan, voters next year would be asked to index legislative salaries to inflation and backdate those increases to the last time voters gave them a raise. Meaning, 1998. Instead of making $24,000 a year, legislative salary would jump to upwards of $48,000 a year, with automatic annual increases after that. Not bad for what's supposed to be a part-time job. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1003, sponsored by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Scottsdale, sailed out of the committee on a 14-3 vote. Next stop, a full House vote, then it's on to the November 2026 ballot. But wait, there's more. Our leaders also passed a bill that would increase the daily expense pay doled out to Maricopa County legislators from $35 a day to about $200. As in $200 a day, seven days a week during the first 120 days of the legislative session, with reductions in per diem pay after that. I am not making this up. This one would go into effect later this year. No voter permission needed. Lawmakers have whined for years about their paltry salaries. Then they spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to get elected. Meanwhile, voters have repeatedly rejected proposals to raise their pay — possibly because last time we gave the Legislature a raise, we tied that 60% pay boost to ending the per diem scam. This, on the theory that legislators ought to actually have expenses before they can be reimbursed for those expenses. The Legislature quickly figured out a way around voters, pocketing the pay raise and keeping their per diem, too. And never again have we given them a raise. Certainly, the case can be made for paying the reasonable expenses of legislators who live outside of Maricopa County and must be in Phoenix four days a week. They collect the federal per diem rate, thanks to a bill passed a few years ago. Right now, that's about $229 a day. But Maricopa County lawmakers? They already live here. They already collect mileage reimbursements for their commute to and from the Capitol. So, what expenses are we covering for our $35 a day, seven days a week? Or, if this bill passes, close to $200 a day? (The bill sets Maricopa County lawmakers' per diem at 80% of what out-of-county lawmakers collect.) Opinion: One of Arizona's kookiest senators wants to run our elections This last-minute cash grab is the brainchild of House Appropriations Chairman David Livingston, R-Peoria. He actually gutted a bill that offered raises to state troopers, corrections officers and court workers and replaced it with a five-fold increase in expense pay for Maricopa County legislators — who, by the way, comprise the majority of the Legislature. The rewritten Senate Bill 1061 cleared his committee on a 10-7 vote in the only public hearing his proposal will get. Livington reasoned that it's only fair to boost their take. 'I know there's members that live outside of this county that do get literally three times the amount of gross pay versus myself and other members of this county,' he said during the March 31 hearing on Senate Bill 1061. 'This needs to be fixed.' Actually, the whole per diem scam needs to be ended. This is nothing more than an end run around the state constitution — the part that says voters set legislative pay. Still, it's been 27 years, and I'm sympathetic to their plea for a raise. So, here's what I'd suggest. Ask voters for a reasonable pay raise next year and forget tying it to inflation. That, too, is an end run on voters. Respect what voters decided in 1998 and eliminate per diem piracy for Maricopa County legislators. If you've actually got expenses, you can file expense reports just like every other state employee. Commit to adjourning in April, as you're supposed to do. We don't need 1,700 bills filed every year, and we certainly don't need 300 new laws. Get in, pass a budget and go home. Perhaps then, more average citizens could serve in what is supposed to be a citizen Legislature. We are now beginning Month Four of this year's legislative session. Can anybody name anything of consequence that our leaders have accomplished? Anybody? Reach Roberts at Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @ Like this column? Get more opinions straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona could pay lawmakers $200 a day for fake expenses | Opinion
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona GOP wages legislative war on transgender existence
Sen. John Kavanagh in October 2024. Photo by Gage Skidmore | Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 Republicans in the Arizona Legislature have sponsored and supported several pieces of legislation this year that focus on regulating the experiences of transgender people, who make up around 1% of the state's population. That's in addition to attacks on transgender people from President Donald Trump, who has issued multiple executive orders aimed at erasing them from public life. On Tuesday, the House Regulatory Oversight Committee approved along party lines two repeat proposals from Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, related to preferred name and pronoun use and who can use certain bathrooms and locker rooms in K-12 public schools. Over the past decade, Kavanagh has repeatedly pushed to keep trans people out of public facilities like bathrooms that align with their gender identity. In recent years, he's focused on attempts to dismantle inclusive policies at public schools. Kavanagh's Senate Bill 1002 would ban teachers from referring to a student by a name or pronoun that differs from their given name or biological sex without first obtaining written permission from a parent. But even with parental permission, the bill would allow school employees to disregard a student's identity without consequences if they have a 'religious or moral' objection. Before voting against the bill, Tucson Democrat Consuelo Hernandez said that she was tired of seeing the same bill recycled year after year. She added that she was raised to treat people with respect, and that includes using whichever pronouns the person she's addressing requests. 'It is very disappointing that we're not working on issues that are actually affecting Arizonans and we just go after trans kids and it's just very exhausting and I'm sorry for those who have to hear this,' Hernandez said. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, made light of Hernandez's remarks, quipping that he thought Democrats liked recycling. Another of Kavanagh's bills, Senate Bill 1003, would prohibit trans students from using locker rooms and bathrooms that don't match their biological sex. Schools that don't comply could be subject to civil suits for compensation for any 'psychological, emotional and physical harm suffered' by other students who encounter trans classmates in any of those locations. It would also ban trans students from staying in hotel rooms on school trips with classmates or teammates of the opposite biological sex. Kavanagh told the committee members on Tuesday that his proposal would balance cisgender students' desire for privacy with trans students' discomfort using facilities that don't align with their gender identity. He claimed it does so by allowing trans students to request other accommodations, such as the use of single-occupancy or staff bathrooms. Paul Bixler, a transgender woman and advocate, told the committee that this policy was likely to violate the privacy of trans students by 'outing' them to their peers when the rest of the students notice that they always use single-occupancy or staff bathrooms. Bixler said that Kavangh's proposal would create an 'atmosphere of exclusion, alienation and disenfranchisement.' Kolodin, a cisgender man, said that he didn't understand how forcing trans students to use separate bathrooms was a privacy issue, and that he personally felt a greater sense of privacy when using a single-occupancy bathroom. Both of Kavanagh's bills already passed through the Senate in February with only Republicans in support. Last year, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed two nearly identical bills that Kavanagh sponsored. But those are far from the only proposed pieces of legislation aimed at transgender people that are moving through the Arizona Legislature. On Feb. 12, by a vote of 32-27, Republicans in the House of Representatives approved House Bill 2062, which would enshrine a narrow definition of biological sex into state law based on a person's physical reproductive characteristics. Critics of the bill, sponsored by anti-trans advocate Rep. Lisa Fink, R-Glendale, said it was an attempt to scrub transgender people from existence. That bill was approved along party lines by the Senate's Government and Rules committees earlier this month and will next head for a vote by the full chamber. On Feb. 19, Republicans in the House voted to approve House Bill 2438, which would ban transgender people who were born in Arizona from amending their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Rachel Keshel, a Tucson Republican and member of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, claimed that its purpose was only to bring the state's birth certificate law in line with the U.S. Constitution and to protect 'the integrity and accuracy of vital records.' Democrats argued that it was simply another attack on transgender people who just want to live their lives in peace. Within the past week, HB2438 was approved along party lines by the Senate Health and Human Services and Rules committees and will next be headed for a vote from the full chamber. These efforts from the majority party in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, alongside Trump's executive orders that banned transgender people from serving in the military and prohibit transgender girls and women from playing on girls school sports teams, are examples of increasing hostility from Republicans toward the trans community over the past several years. In February, Keshel said that her HB2438 aligned with Trump's first anti-trans executive order, which sought to erase transgender and nonbinary identities in the eyes of the federal government. The Republicans' anti-trans bills are likely to pass through the Republican-controlled House and Senate, but will almost certainly meet their end via a veto from Hobbs. Hobbs has promised to block any discriminatory legislation aimed at the LGBTQ community, and has made good on that promise, vetoing multiple anti-trans bills annually since she took office in 2023. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brass knuckles ban introduced again in Arizona. What has changed from 2024
A bill that aims to ban brass knuckles for minors was introduced in the Legislature after a similar proposal failed to pass last year. Senate Bill 1290, sponsored by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would make it a Class 3 misdemeanor if a minor "intentionally or knowingly" purchases or possesses the weapon. Brass knuckles are metal fittings that go around the fingers and amplify the force of a punch. In 2024, Kavanagh sponsored a bill that would have banned the weapon in Arizona. He said at the time that he was pushing for the legislation after hearing about group attacks in the East Valley where brass knuckles were used. A December 2023 investigation by The Arizona Republic found the "Gilbert Goons" had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the East Valley, unchecked by authorities, for more than a year. Brass knuckles were used in some attacks, according to interviews and police records. The investigation first tied the Goons to the fatal beating of Preston Lord, 16, at a Halloween party in Queen Creek. Connor Jarnagan was one of the people who was attacked with the weapon in a December 2022 Goons attack in Gilbert and helped push for Kavanagh's bill. But there was opposition from some legislators concerned about restricting methods of self-defense, Kavanagh said. Arizona is one of 12 states where brass knuckles are legal. In 17 more states, the weapon is legal with a permit. Some Arizona cities prohibit the possession of brass knuckles. Phoenix's city code makes it illegal to carry brass or any other metal "knuckles." After the Goons fallout, elected officials in East Valley communities voted on brass knuckles bans. Chandler and Gilbert banned the weapon for minors and Tempe prohibited possession of them for minors and adults. Kavanagh's bill was not the only legislative proposal introduced this year as a response to teen violence in the East Valley. "Preston's Law" was introduced by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, to criminalize group attacks. House Bill 2611 would characterize an assault as an aggravated assault if the assailant was "aided by two or more accomplices" who were present for the attack. The bill has passed the House. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell was a proponent of Preston's Law, which would allow prosecutors to charge attackers in group assaults in a way that would prevent their charges from being classified as misdemeanors. Many of the people charged in Goons beatings faced Class 6 felonies, which is the least serious type in Arizona and can be turned into a misdemeanor. The crime created by Preston's Law would be a Class 4 felony, which cannot be converted into a misdemeanor. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brass knuckles ban introduced again. What has changed from last year?
