Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a large portion of the bills sent to her this session by the Republican dominated Arizona Legislature. So far this year, she vetoed 52 and signed 70 into law. The bills she signed were mostly mundane, with bipartisan support. She signed the controversial Axon bill, which carved out a zoning exception for the Taser company to build high-density apartments in Scottsdale. Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale) said several lawmakers told him the company promised to fund their reelection campaigns if they voted for the bill, which is a Class 4 felony for bribery if true.
Garret Lewis, host of The Afternoon Addiction on various radio stations in Arizona, posted after Hobbs signed the Axon bill, “@GovernorHobbs signed the Axon bill taking away Scottsdale residents (and sets a precedent for any other AZ city/town residents) ability to have a referendum on Axon building apartments. Katie is on record supporting voter suppression.”
Hobbs already has the record for the most vetoes of an Arizona governor. She vetoed 216 her first two years: 143 in 2023 and 73 in 2024. The previous record was held by Democrat Janet Napolitano, who vetoed 181 bills from 2003-09.
She vetoed six major election integrity bills. HB 2060 would have asserted Arizona’s authority over federal elections in the state in the same manner as it has authority over state and local elections, allowing the state to require documented proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. SB 1123 would have required ballots to have three of 10 security measures, including watermarked paper, holographic foils, or advanced printing technology. HB 2007 would have banned payments for collecting new voter registrations.
HB 2703 would have sped up the process of tabulating ballots by prohibiting voters with early ballots to bring them to polling places on Election Day. HB 2004 would have banned county recorders from registering voters who have addresses outside of Arizona unless in the military or living overseas. HB 2153 would have allowed representatives from political parties to observe early voting locations.
Hobbs provided the usual Democratic talking points for vetoing the election integrity bills, which is that they would make it more difficult to vote, disenfranchise voters, and cost county recorders more money and time.
Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda denounced the veto of HB 2703. “Governor Katie Hobbs had an opportunity to serve the interests of all Arizonans by signing this vital bill for the future of our elections,” she said. “Tragically, Hobbs sided with her radical, left-wing friends to stop a reasonably crafted election bill in its legislative tracks. Arizonans demanded a fix to the myriads of problems facing our state in the lead-up to and through Election Day with our vote tabulation, but the governor has proven herself fundamentally unwilling to participate in what should be a bipartisan solution. When another race in our state is days late in reporting the final vote, we have only one person to blame: Katie Hobbs.”
HB 2058 would have required public college students to be notified of their right to opt out of vaccine mandates. HB 2063 would have required schools to inform parents about their right to opt their children out of immunizations. HB 2257 would have prohibited the Department of Child Services from refusing to place a child in a home where another child has not been vaccinated.
HB 2012 would have banned companies from requiring vaccines that were approved under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency authorization.
One of the reasons Hobbs said she vetoed the vaccine related bills was because she said they were not necessary.
SB 1164, the Arizona ICE Act, would have authorized state and local law enforcement to work with ICE to deport illegal immigrants. SB 1071 would have limited eligibility for welfare, known in the state as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. HB 2165, endorsed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would have prohibited the use of food stamps to buy soda. SB 1584 would have banned the state from DEI hiring practices.
HB 2670 would have required public schools to teach 7th and 8th graders about fetal development. HB 2062 would have protected single-sex spaces in places like locker rooms, bathrooms, and domestic violence shelters. Hobbs vetoed several bills related to reforming the Arizona Corporation Commission, including ones related to avoiding undependable energy sources.
Hobbs signed only a handful of bills that were significantly championed by conservatives. SB 1461 prohibits law enforcement agencies from firing officers, deputies, or troopers who have been promoted but placed on probation for completing their probationary period in an unsatisfactory way. SB 2607 increases sentences for fentanyl dealers. HB 2733 eliminates penalties for damage done by a government employee to a drone within 15 miles of Arizona’s border with Mexico if it’s suspected to be used in criminal activity.
Republican lawmakers, with their slim majorities in both chambers, do not have the numbers to override her vetoes. However, they are likely to send several bills to the ballot which will not need Hobbs’ approval.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to rachel.r.alexander@gmail.com.
The post Governor Katie Hobbs Continues Record for Vetoes, Rejects Arizona ICE Act, Bills on Election Integrity, and Bills Against Vaccine Mandates first appeared on The Arizona Sun Times.