Arizona Republicans skeptical of proposals in Hobbs' State of the State
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro said there's always room for bipartisanship, but felt the governor's State of the State didn't reflect the values Arizonans voted for in November. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Republican lawmakers who control the Arizona House and Senate expressed a willingness to work with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs but were largely skeptical about her signature policy proposals, focused on housing and child care, in Monday's State of the State address.
Catch up quick: Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said the solution to Arizona's housing shortage is to establish more supply, "not some program that (Hobbs) creates where government takes money from somebody and gives it to somebody else."
- House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, seemed doubtful about the governor's proposal to restrict short-term rental "party houses," telling reporters the state must respect people's property rights.
- Petersen added he hasn't heard any details of Hobbs' child care plan, but said the industry is overregulated, driving up costs. Some Republicans questioned how the governor's program would be funded, including Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, who told Axios: "Everybody wants to have affordable child care. But who pays for it?"
Zoom in: Petersen is hopeful Hobbs will sign "ag-to-urban" legislation, which she vetoed last year, to repurpose agricultural land for less water-intensive residential land. He said the plan would help meet the state's housing demand.
Friction point: Hobbs has targeted the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program since taking office in 2023, and Republicans have been unwilling to budge on the state's landmark school choice program.
- Montenegro said accountability for how ESA money is spent is important, but Republicans "are going to stand strong to protect parental rights" when it comes to education.
Hobbs urged lawmakers to pass an extension of Proposition 123, an expiring 2016 ballot measure that increases state land trust funding for K-12 education.
- Republicans and Democrats both support renewing Prop. 123 but differ on how some of the money should be spent.
- But Petersen noted that Republicans don't need Hobbs' signature or Democratic votes to send Prop. 123 renewal to the ballot.
What they're saying: Voters "spoke loud and clear, and they gave us a mandate to focus on … public safety," Montenegro said of November's election, adding that Hobbs' speech largely didn't reflect the values they elected Republicans to uphold.
Yes, but: Republicans were supportive of Hobbs' call for pay raises for state police and firefighters. Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, told Axios she'd like to make that happen, while Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, said he wants a bigger salary hike.
- Some GOP lawmakers said they wanted to see more details of Hobbs' plans on housing and child care.
- Freshman Rep. Nick Kupper, R-Surprise, said he didn't have enough details on the child care plan, but he's willing to work with anyone with "a commonsense idea that isn't going to charge the taxpayers tons of money."