FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Katie Hobbs' Record-Setting Vetoes Showcase
Weakness and Lack of Leadership from the Ninth Floor
PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Weakness and lack of leadership from the Ninth Floor are on full display after Governor Katie Hobbs' today vetoed her 62nd bill since taking office in January, setting a new record for the Executive Branch and showcasing her acrimony towards the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Despite the Governor only winning the 2022 general election by less than a percentage point, Hobbs has so far chosen to alienate the remaining voters who also duly elected their Republican lawmakers to represent them on a variety of issues important to their lives and livelihoods. Those vetoes so far include:
· Inflation relief in the form of tax cuts on groceries and rent for our hardworking families.
· Requiring power companies to first prioritize affordability for Arizonans as well as grid reliability.
· Harsher punishment for domestic abusers of pregnant women.
· Greater penalties against fentanyl dealers when a child dies from an overdose.
· Declaring drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
· Parental notification of sex offenders on school campuses.
· Prohibiting racist curriculum in public schools.
· Health care requirements of providers for protections of infants born in distress.
· Ban on homeless camps outside of businesses.
· Religious protections for employees required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
· Support for small, at-home businesses.
"Vetoing is a tool that weak leaders will use in an effort to control legislative priorities, and we're witnessing this tactic front and center from Katie Hobbs," said Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope. "Instead of demonstrating diplomacy and bipartisanship, the Governor is showcasing her failure to work across the aisle. Instead of accomplishing the priorities of our citizens and strengthening our communities, she's done little outside of hosting press gaggles and photo ops with activist groups and Democrats alike. Republican lawmakers will continue to fight for legislation expected from the voters who elected us into office, and we'll leave the political games, subsequent chaos and insanity to Governor Hobbs."
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus