6 Jan 18th–Jan 24th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Partisan Politics Lawmakers mostly played nice on opening day of the Arizona legislature. BY TJ L’HEUREUX S chool is back in session. Arizona lawmakers brought family, friends, colleagues, mentors and other guests onto the House floor on Jan. 8 to mark the opening of the second session of the 56th Legislature. The festivities concluded with Gov. Katie Hobbs delivering her State of the State address. If your metric to judge the success (or failure) of opening day is how many Republicans walked out or turned their backs on Hobbs, her address went better than last year, when several lawmakers walked out. There was just one this time: Sen. Anthony Kern, a Peoria Republican, noted Jan. 6, 2021, rioter and attempted fake elector who participated in a plot to over- throw the 2020 election. Kern also has a less-than-stellar past as a police officer and is looking desperate for a surprise victory in a crowded West Valley Republican primary for the U.S. House. Yet Kern stood and turned his back on Hobbs during her address. Even the other 11 members of the Freedom Caucus, the combative, far-right wing of the state’s Republican legislators, were able to stay seated. Don’t take it as a sign they’re sweet- ening up to Hobbs. They are likely only coming to understand the realities of working in a divided government. Hobbs vetoed a record 143 Republican-passed bills last year. Sen. Jake Hoffman, the Queen Creek Republican and Freedom Caucus chair, said at a press conference earlier in the day that Democrats’ proposals to add account- ability measures to the Empowerment Scholarship Account program would be “dead on arrival in the Senate.” At the press conference, Hoffman and other lawmakers stood surrounded by dozens of children, some of whom held crudely written signs that read, “THE StAtE DOeSn’t own My MIND” and “mY MoM iS a better teacher than you Legislators.” “The Freedom Caucus and the Republican Caucus at large stand united on this issue,” Hoffman said. The school voucher program is Republicans’ swan song from their days of full control over the House, Senate and governor’s office. That ended when Hobbs took office last year. With state education officials projecting the program will reach $900 million in annual spending this year, it’s a rapidly ballooning budget item that allows parents to spend taxpayer money on private schools and anything program managers deem educational. Its faster-than-expected growth played a significant role in leaving Arizona with a budget deficit of $400 million. The program represents an evolution in right-wing strategy: It expands govern- ment spending with handouts for parents of private school kids, even as Arizona was ranked dead last in the nation for per- student funding in public schools, according to the Education Law Center. The voucher program drives inequality by redistributing taxpayer money to the wealthiest zip codes in the state, according to data from the Arizona Department of Education. ABC15 analyzed the data and reported that 52% of ESA students live in the highest earning quartile of zip codes. There are about 10 times more ESA students in Arizona’s richest 25% of zip codes compared to the poorest 25%, though the law is helping families in poor, rural parts of the state. While Democrats previously wanted to eliminate the voucher program, they’ve come to recognize it’s politically infeasible with about 74,000 students now participating. Instead, Hobbs has proposed a plan to keep a closer eye on the voucher program’s spending, set minimal education standards and require fingerprinting of employees at schools receiving voucher funds. ‘The adults in the room’ Hobbs’ change of approach to the voucher program reflects what seems to be a key goal for Democratic legislators: being a disciplined, mature caucus. “Arizona, know this: Democrats are the adults in the room,” Rep. Oscar De Los Santos, a Phoenix Democrat, said during a press conference. “We are working on common-sense solutions to the issues that matter to you and your families.” De Los Santos, the assistant Democratic leader in the House, and other party offi- cials highlighted plans to economically help a middle class struggling with high costs, safeguard Arizona’s water supply and protect the freedom of women to make their own reproductive decisions. During the opening session shortly thereafter, dozens of state lawmakers held their tongues as the House introduced a resolution to condemn Hamas and pledge full support of Israel. The resolution didn’t mention the 22,000 Palestinian people, largely civilians and children, who have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s brutal military campaign since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, even after the U.S. State Department said there were “credible reports” that Israel engaged in major human rights violations. While gatherers in the Capitol complex called for a cease-fire and an end to Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians, Democrats didn’t bite on the political ploy. The resolution passed without an objection. Democrats’ aspiration to be the serious party comes as they attempt to wrestle control of one or both chambers of the legislature from Republicans in the November elections. Currently, Republicans have a one-seat majority in both the House and Senate. Time will tell how willing more moderate Republicans will be to negotiate with Hobbs and Democrats on key issues, such as overhauling water laws. But the biggest issue of all, and the one that encompasses most other issues, is the budget. The state’s budget deficit is growing quickly. Lawmakers point the blame at the other political party for the shortfall because, truthfully, there isn’t one reason for it. The school voucher program catches attention since it’s a new program. Tax revenue collection also is down by $1 billion after Republicans changed the graduated tax to a flat tax in 2021. Republicans tend to blame the shortfall on wasteful government spending. The goal is to wrap up the legislative session within 100 days, but lawmakers typically go until May or June, especially when there are difficult problems to nego- tiate such as a budget shortfall. Hobbs’ priorities in 2024 Hobbs’ speech struck an optimistic tone in her address, recalling bipartisan successes during last year’s legislative session. “We have worked together, debated each other, pushed one another and — most importantly — put aside our differ- ences when it mattered most to do what’s right for Arizona and the people who call it home,” Hobbs said. “Our constituents didn’t send us here to the Capitol to solve easy problems or take the easy way out.” Hobbs also spoke on a wide range of priorities, strengthening security on the southern Arizona border, ensuring more access to affordable housing, improving medical and long-term care in the state, protecting abortion rights and holding the school voucher program accountable for its spending. Another goal for Hobbs is making significant changes to water laws in Arizona and ensuring a sustainable water future. “We can only protect our water supply by working together. I stand ready to work with you to pass legislation that makes the changes we need today — all to safeguard Arizona’s water for tomorrow,” Hobbs told legislators. “And to those who have spent years refusing to act: If you don’t, I will.” Chris Kuzdas and Haley Paul, co-leaders of the Water for Arizona Coalition, issued a statement in support of Hobbs’ plan to close corporate loopholes that exploit water resources. “We are grateful for Gov. Hobbs’ will- ingness to stand up for rural communities who have long been ignored by the Legislature and support their efforts in seeking new, locally driven groundwater management tools,” Kuzdas and Paul said. “Arizona cannot afford to allow unlimited groundwater pumping at the expense of our rivers and rural communities.” Democrats applauded Gov. Katie Hobbs while Sen. Anthony Kern turned his back to the governor during her State of the State address on Jan. 8. (Photo by TJ L’Heureux) | NEWS | | NEWS |