By: Dianne Post
May 7th 2026 | Substack
Governor Hobbs has been very busy again playing the veto game with the Republican majorities in the House and Senate who refuse to represent the people of the state but rather represent the business interests, monied interests, and their own fevered imaginations about power and control.
As of May 6, she had vetoed 46 bills not counting the “big ugly budget” which decidedly needed to be vetoed, burned, and its ashes put down the outdoor toilet. The vetoes illustrate quite well the priorities of the Republican majorities. The greatest number of bills (11) that had to be vetoed were attacks on the poor and immigrants. These concerned SNAP, TANF, AHCCCS, Unemployment Insurance, and taxing the poor rather than the rich.
The second biggest category (7) was attacks on education focusing on libraries, school boards, accountability, transparency, school bonding measures, and ridiculous teaching requirements. Our schools are so bad we would have to double what we pay per student just to reach the national average. But these bozos want to micromanage teachers.
The third most common (6) was the refusal of the legislature to admit climate change is real and that we have a growing water crisis or should we say drought crisis. The focus of the legislature was not to plan or conserve but to punish Attorney General Mayes for using the nuisance statute as a tool to curb foreign interests from sucking up our water for their cattle.
Pro business bills were next (5) mostly focusing on taxes and GPLETs. The tax bill that makes me see red like a bull is giving a tax break to people who own private airplane for their mechanic services while refusing to give a tax break to women who have to buy tampons every month and families who have to buy diapers every week. It illustrates very clearly our corporatist state.
Anti democracy bills (5) were out in force to try and replicate the trifecta they have in DC by controlling the courts, state agencies, and attacking protesters free speech. Science and the environment came in for three while children were hit twice with attempting to remove mental health talk from schools and prohibiting kids from joining clubs their parents might not like (read LGBT clubs). Of course they can’t ignore minorities with two attacks on the use of social credit and merit hiring. But we should waste our money on honoring the racist and sexist Charlie Kirk with a road or license plates. Unfortunately the governor usually supports law enforcement, but she vetoed one bill that would have diverted the money for consumer protection that AG Mayes is using to such positive advantage for renters and consumers to DPS to support cops.
If it wasn’t clear before, it is now what their agenda is: Attacks on poor/immigrants; attacks on education; denial of climate change, science or environmental issues; pro-business and anti-democracy; attacks on children and people of color; but support of Christian nationalism and law enforcement. It’s all about control.
The governor has now vetoed the big ugly budget and the boys, who will be boys, went home crying until June 1. The budget must be finalized by June 30 so let’s hope when they come back, they do it and sine die without passing any more nonsense.
As of now, we know of three legislative referenda from last year that will be on the ballot in November.
One is a constitutional amendment that would prohibit taxation and limitation of miles traveled in a motor vehicle. It would prohibit the state and local governments from imposing taxes or fees based on vehicle miles traveled and from enacting rules to monitor or limit vehicle miles traveled without the person’s consent. SCR1004 (2025) The interesting thing about this is that the reason to tax someone on miles was because if they are driving an EV they are not paying gasoline taxes which are used to build and repair roads. So they are using roads without paying for them. If they were taxed for mileage, that would replace the lost gasoline tax. It passed the Senate 17-12 and passed the House 31-0 with 29 not voting. It’s strange the Republicans supported this because generally they support fossil fuels and object to EVs. But it was part of a ‘Travel Reduction Plan” and heavens knows we can’t have any restrictions on politicians driving about the state or reduce driving to save carbon emissions. Back in 2016, the House Sargeant-at-Arms put thousands of miles on a state car driving then House speaker David Gowan to his home in Cochise County. Nineteen days later when he returned the car, he had put 5,000 miles on the odometer.
Two other referenda from last year concern state statutes. One would prohibit municipalities from imposing sales tax on food without voter approval. HCR2021 (2025) would not allow a city or town after Jan 1, 2025 (retroactive to Dec. 31, 2024) any increase in taxes on food that does not exceed 2% base before June 30, 2027 without voter approval. It passed the House 31-27 and the Senate 23-5. If a town has done that, it would have to pay refunds which would be a very difficult business. This violates local control and charter city powers and again is odd because Republicans don’t care about poor people going hungry as evidenced by the cuts in SNAP and school lunches so why are they doing this except to control cities?
The other referenda would declare drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Drug cartels are defined as engaging in human smuggling as well as drug trafficking but if you are a victim of said human smuggling, you cannot use that fact on your asylum application. So the purpose is not to help victims in any way, but to be able to put economic sanctions on who they identify as members of said cartel, and most importantly to get money from Homeland Security and do more border attacks. It passed the House 32-27 and failed the first time in the Senate but after some brow beating, the Senate passed it 16-13.
At this point, no referenda have been passed out of the legislature this year though many were introduced. It is still possible to pass eight depending on the actions of the legislature between now and June 30, but we shall hope that none make it. The possible 8 are two prohibiting photo enforcement systems (HCR2004 and SCR1004); one allowing irresponsible people to spread highly contagious diseases (HCR2056); an attempt to restrict voting that mirrors the “Save Act” in Congress (SCR1001); a reduction in reporting campaign donations (SCR1002); reasonable accommodations for restroom or changing facilities regarding biological sex (SCR1006); messing with our Independent Redistricting Commission (SCR1023); forcing everyone to have the same election day (SCR1027); and allowing people to choose firing squad for their death (SCR1049). I would note that they have not passed a law allowing non prisoners to choose their “right to die” if they are terminally ill, but they would extend that to those who are convicted criminals while denying it to the rest of us.
In addition to the referenda that could come down from on high, initiatives are the ballot measures that rise up from the people – you know – like in a democracy. The signatures are due on these July 2, so we won’t know till after that if any make it.
I-01 is called the “I care a lot constitutional amendment” that would prohibit fees for probate attorneys, guardians, fiduciaries etc. I understand that some people believe that attorneys and guardians are ripping off dead people in will contests and sometimes that may be so, but this is not the way to solve it. If no one is able to be paid, no one will do it.
I – 03 is called the “Health Care Executive Compensation” to limit compensation for private for profit and nonprofit hospitals CEOs to 15 times the pay of a full-time minimum wage worker. It certainly is true that CEOs are receiving outrageous salaries. We need laws to curb this excessive behavior across the board which the Montana Plan or state regulation of all corporations would allow.
I-08 is the Free, Fair and Secure Elections Act that creates a state Constitutional right to vote including by mail, early, and in person at any voting center, possible to get and stay on the early ballot list, and to present appropriate ID or do a provisional ballot – you know like we used to. Many people do not know but voting is not a constitutional right in either the federal or state constitution so it would be good to make it so.
Competing ballot initiatives are being circulated regarding our insane voucher system. I – 09 is the Protect Education Act and specifically mentions vouchers. It calls for transparency, accountability, and safety in ESA (vouchers); limits vouchers to those families making $150,000 or less per year; prohibits luxury items; mandates that teachers/tutors must be qualified, and has rules and reporting. This is the one to sign.
I-10 taken out immediately after the first one is called AZ ESA Reform and Accountability Act which it’s anything but. It does not mention vouchers. It claims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and fiscal integrity but emphasizes it does so without infringing on parental choice – there is your clue right there. This tells you that this is NOT the good one. They propose to set up an online marketplace pay system which itself would cost a bomb and take a while; it restricts luxury and non-educational purchases (wouldn’t you think that was a given?); it requires fingerprinting for teachers and tutors but not qualifications; it has an exam to prove you learned something, and quarterly reporting. But the AZ Department of Education would be tasked with approving curricula and can approve curricula from faith based options. So the public would be paying for curricula teaching creationism not evolution, that Jesus rode around on a dinosaur’s back, and submission of women to the male head of household as you must submit to god. Do not sign this one.
