By Howard Fischer
Mail | X: @azcapmedia

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs is hurtling toward setting a record in Arizona for the number of bills vetoed in one year.

But the Democatic governor insists it's not because she lacks the ability to work across the aisle with Republican legislators.

"I have made it clear that I'm not going to sign legislation that is solutions in search of a problem, that takes away people's freedom,'' the governor  told Capitol Media Services.

What seems certain is that when lawmakers return from their break they will resume approving measures that advance the GOP policy agenda. And there are a host of bills in the pipeline that are virtually sure to meet with the governor's displeasure, from changes in election laws and cuts in the state income tax rate to easing some groundwater regulations.

That all but guarantees she will set a record.

As of right now, Hobbs has vetoed 138 bills since the Arizona Legislature convened in January. That is just five short of her tally in her first year in office in for the entire session.

House Republicans aren't taking kindly to her effort to blame them.

"Gov. Hobbs has made vetoing good policy her full-time job, rejectng bipartisan solutions supported by the elected representatives of the people of Arizona,'' Andrew Wilder, spokesman for House Speaker Steve Montenegro and the GOP caucus, said. "Instead of governing, she's cementing a record as an ineffective obstructionist whose only accomplishments cater to the extreme fringe of her party.''

Not everything that Hobbs has rejected has been strictly partisan affairs. There have been a few bills that she has rejected that have had some support from legislative Democrats.

One, for example, would have ensured that parents are entitled to a minor child's medical records, regardless of whether parental consent is required for treatment. There are exceptions under existing law to the need for that consent such as emergency situations, including those that might involve a drug overdose and instances where a minor may have contracted a venereal disease.

Hobbs said the proposal by Republican Rep. Julie Willoughby of Chandler would create "legal ambiguity'' for healthcare providers who have existing obligations to patient privacy.

Several Democrats also supported a proposal to pave the way for "small modular nuclear reactors'' in Arizona.

But the majority of what met with the governor's disapproval were Republican-only affairs.

Take the measure, also by Willoughby, to impose mandatory employment and training  requirements to get food stamps. Hobbs said lawmakers should instead use their efforts to support an existing voluntary program for recipients to get jobs and training.

The governor also nixed a requirement for the state's Medicaid program to provide a "conspicuous link'' on the agency's website directing people to information on adoption and to support pregnant women. Hobbs saw it through the lens of efforts to attack reproductive freedom in the wake of voters putting a right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution.

And only Republicans supported a proposal by Scottsdale Sen. Carine Warner to make all school board elections into partisan affairs.

But what Hobbs said she really doesn't understand is why Republicans are surprised at some of her decisions.

"Some of these vetoes are bills that have been sent to me multiple times, even in one session,'' she said. "It's ridiculous, quite frankly.''

Among the reruns was a proposal by Sen. Wendy Rogers to allow those who have a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring them onto college campuses.

And then there were a pair of bills from Sen. John Kavanagh. The Fountain Hills Republican wanted to ban teachers from referring to students by a first name or pronoun that did not match their gender at time of birth and prohibit students from using a restroom other than the one based on the sex they were assigned when born.

Then there were the measures sent to Hobbs like the proposal by Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, to ensure that Arizona schools were aligned with the orders of President Donald Trump and were referring to what had been known for centuries as the Gulf of Mexico instead as the "Gulf of America.''

Hobbs lumped that in with other measures that she rejected, saying they take away attention from what she believes should be the focus of lawmakers.

"I would like the Legislature to prioritize lowering costs, addressing our housing crisis, securing our water future, securing the border,'' she said.

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