Capitol roundup: Lawmakers take another shot at vetoed starter homes bill

This year's legislative housing battles kicked off as a bipartisan group of lawmakers took the first step toward passing a new version of last year's vetoed "starter homes" bill.

Catch up quick: Gov. Katie Hobbs last year vetoed legislation that aimed to encourage construction of lower-cost starter homes by eliminating some municipal authority over zoning requirements.

• She called the bill "a step too far" and said it would create a "housing reform experiment with unclear outcomes."

Driving the news: A House committee advanced a new version of the bill on a bipartisan 8-2 vote on Tuesday. Republicans unanimously supported the bill, while the committee's four Democrats were split.

• The bill would largely bar cities from regulating design features like walls, fences and garages.
• Cities would have to permit lot sizes as small as 1,500 square feet in new developments of at least five acres.
• The requirements would apply only to cities of more than 70,000 residents.

State of play: At a press conference on Wednesday, bill sponsor Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu City, said supporters' goal is to avoid another veto.

• He said he added a provision exempting areas near military bases, addressing U.S. Department of Defense concerns cited by Hobbs in her veto letter.
• "Are there other things we can fix? Absolutely," Biasiucci said.
• An identical bill was introduced in the Senate.

The other side: The League of Arizona Cities and Towns opposed the bill, as they did last year.

• Nick Ponder, a lobbyist for the league, told Axios the new bill goes too far in reducing minimum lot sizes and didn't make any substantive changes except the military provision.
• The league is planning its own starter homes bill, which will have 4,000-square-foot minimum lot sizes and limitations on design features.
• Ponder said that could be introduced as early as Monday.

1 big departure: Sarah Brown, Hobbs' budget director for the past two years, submitted her resignation, effective Feb. 12, the Arizona Republic reported.

• Hobbs hasn't chosen Brown's replacement yet, spokesperson Christian Slater told Axios.
• Her departure comes as the governor gears up for a potential budget fight with GOP lawmakers, who grilled another Hobbs staffer last week over budget numbers that exceeded legislative revenue projections and fell short of expenditure figures.

In other legislative session news:

⛈ Weather modification efforts would be banned under an anti-geoengineering bill approved by a House committee, where numerous speakers expressed concerns about debunked "chemtrails" conspiracy theories.

🚗 Drivers who travel under the speed limit in the left lane of a highway would face $500 fines under a bill introduced by Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande.

🤑 The House gave preliminary approval to legislation that would exempt tips from state income taxes, similar to President Trump's proposal at the federal level.

💻 Arizonans would have to prove they're at least 18 years old before accessing pornography online under a bill passed by a House committee.

Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year.