By Howard Fischer
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PHOENIX - Gov. Katie Hobbs notched another four vetoes on Monday.

The governor rejected HB 2427, a proposal by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, which would increase the maximum possible penalty for aggravated assault in a domestic violence situation if the assailant knew or had reason to know the victim was pregnant.

Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, said domestic violence affects one out of every four women and one in nine men in this country. That, he said, can include everything from stalking physical violence.

"With pregnancy comes risk,'' Gress said. "And many women report it's actually when they become pregnant that abuse starts or becomes intensified.''

What HB 2427 does by allowing an additional five-years to be added to any penalty, he said, is ensure that "we will not allow two lives to be further threatened by unstable aggression of a partner.''

Gress acknowledged he had not spoken with domestic violence advocacy organizations -- other than the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy. And Marilyn Rodriguez, representing the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence testified against it.

Hobbs, in her veto message, cited the group's stance that the bill "will do nothing to deter domestic violence offenses or support pregnant victims.''

"As a social worker who spent years serving in Arizona's largest domestic violence shelter, I've seen first-hand the needs of victims seeking safety and stability,'' the governor wrote. "I encourage the Legislature to focus on those needs, including increased funding for services and economic support for victims.''

The legislation also has drawn opposition from Planned Parenthood.

There is a concern that this bill could be seen as a way to try to grant separate legal status to an unborn child. And that could undermine abortion rights.

And what makes that of greater concern is that this isn't Gress' only such effort. He actually is sponsoring several measures that could have the same impact.

One of his proposals would expand the current state income tax credit for children to cover the time a woman actually is pregnant. Now that credit is available only after a child is born.

Another would require judges, when making child support decisions when a divorce petition is filed, have those payments retroactive to when the woman actually became pregnant, rather than at the point of ibrth.

And a third would allow pregnant women to drive in the lane now reserved for carpooling Gress said he sees no difference between a woman who may be ready to give birth and a woman who puts her day-old child into an infant seat and qualifies under current law to use the high-occupancy vehicle lane.

Hobbs separately vetoed HB 2440.

It would have required utilities to give top priority to providing "reliable and affordable electric service'' when planning new generation facilities.

Sandy Bahr who lobbies for the Sierra Club said that is looking at things too narrowly. She said there are other factors ranging from air pollution to even the amount of water a particular type of power plant would use.

"It's unwise to exclude those,'' Bahr said.

Hobbs, for her part, called HB 2440 "unnecessary and creates regulatory uncertainty in instances where affordability and reliability may be at odds.''

The governor also said she wants to focus on "solutions that deliver direct assistance to Arizona families struggling with energy costs.''

Also gaining a veto stamp was HB 2472. It would have barred the state from requiring a bank or financial institution to use a "social credit score'' when evaluating whether to lend money to a customer.

Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, said it's about protecting the "free market'' and protecting Arizona banks from having to use factors they do not want.

His legislation, however, did not define what is a "social credit score'' but suggested that it is a practice used in communist countries like China to determined if people are "liked in society,'' with their ability to get certain benefit liked to that score.

Hobbs said that uncertainty about what would be barred affected her decision to veto the bill.

"It does not define 'social credit scores,' nor do these systems exist anywhere in the United States,'' the governor wrote. And she said if the goal is to protect against unfair lending practices, that already is covered by federal law and, specifically, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974.

Hobbs also vetoed HB 2056 which would have exempted dry washes and similar arroyos that don't flow steadily from certain requirements dealing with the discharge of pollutants.

The governor said it would create "regulatory confusion and uncertainty'' because it would conflict with provisions of what the federal government determines are "Waters of the United States'' which are subject to protections. And she said if the federal government disagrees with the state's action, Arizona would lose the ability to enforce its own regulatory programs and they would go back to the federal government.

The vetoes bring to 24 her tally so far this session.