Weekly Legislative Reports

It’s no secret that Arizona’s policymakers don’t always get along – a fact that was enhanced when voters gave Republicans and Democrats control of separate branches of state government. Those dynamics were evident this week as a high-profile feud unfolded over negotiations between the Governor’s office and Republican lawmakers about how to alter the state’s early voting to obtain election results faster.

As the 2025 legislative session enters its second month, lawmakers are settling into longer days and a faster pace of work. Both the House and Senate hosted floor debates and voting sessions, where bipartisan coalitions approved bills to change the order of candidate names on the ballot, promote water safety classes, and continue the School Facilities Oversight Board.

It was an eventful week at the Arizona Capitol. Governor Katie Hobbs (D) appointed Maria Elena Cruz to serve on the Arizona Supreme Court and launched a new discussion about groundwater, state officials worked to understand or stop a federal funding freeze, legislators called for statutory changes and investigations into a funding shortage at the Isaac Elementary School District, and the Governor’s budget director resigned.

State budget negotiations have not yet begun, but this week demonstrated the divides policymakers will face when they do attempt to craft a bipartisan budget plan. House and Senate Appropriations Committees convened for briefings on the Governor’s budget plan and the legislature’s baseline forecast, which outlines the state’s mandatory spending for the next few years. The two budget documents differ in predictions for future growth in education and healthcare programs, and Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee criticized what they perceive as incomplete details in the Governor’s proposal.

Bipartisanship was not the obvious theme of the first week of the Arizona legislative session. Legislative Republicans were skeptical of the priorities Governor Hobbs (D) outlined in her State of the State speech, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) gave the Governor a failing grade for her sharp critique of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, and the Freedom Caucus announced that its top priority for the year is defeating top Democratic state officials.

The debate about housing policies grew louder this week as Governor Hobbs considers a long-discussed proposal that passed the legislature last week. Supporters say it will help address Arizona’s growing problem with housing affordability; opponents say it won’t fix the housing problems and will lead to additional challenges for residents. The Governor has not yet offered an opinion on the bill; she has until Monday to act or allow it to become law without her signature.