Petersen Creates Senate Committee To Review Hobbs’ Director Nominations

az senate

With Governor Katie Hobbs’ staff stumbling to get out of the governing gate and failing to follow protocol, Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen is creating a new Committee on Director Nominations. Petersen says he hopes to establish a clear system of checks and balances over state agency directors.

The committee will be tasked with gathering information on and evaluating the qualifications of the Governor’s executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual.

Arizona Revised Statute 38-211 requires the Senate to confirm the Governor’s appointments. This statute also requires the Governor to “promptly” send documentation outlining those nominations to the Senate.

Hobbs began appointing agency leaders prior to her official inauguration, on December 27, but has failed to submit the documentation to the Senate on 23 out of 25 individuals who have so far been appointed.

Petersen argues that because the appointees oversee agencies and have a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of every single citizen within Arizona, it is imperative that the Governor adhere to established protocol in order to protect the public.

The members that will serve on the Committee on Director Nominations are:
• Senator Jake Hoffman (Chair)
• Senator Sine Kerr (Vice-Chair)
• Senator T.J. Shope
• Senator Christine Marsh
• Senator Eva Burch

“Katie Hobbs’ apparent refusal to follow the law when it comes to submitting her agency director nominees for Senate confirmation is unacceptable and demonstrates her willingness to play political games with the lives and safety of Arizona citizens,” said Chair Hoffman in a press release. “We currently have people charged with overseeing state agencies, which serve our most vulnerable populations, who have not been properly vetted by the Senate, as prescribed by Arizona law.”

“The individuals who are currently serving as directors of our state agencies, as appointed by the Governor, are currently collecting salaries funded by taxpayer dollars. These individuals are making staffing changes. They’re making major changes to how departments are run. This is quite concerning, considering we don’t know yet if these individuals are even qualified to hold these positions,” said Majority Whip Kerr.

“For a Governor who has made numerous comments on wanting bipartisanship at the Capitol, the way to achieve that goal is to not ignore statutory duties or intentionally delay statutory checks and balances,” said President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope. “We look forward to meeting with these individuals in a timely fashion, so that we can begin the process of thoughtful examination, as the voters who elected us to office expect us to do.”

The first committee hearing will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2023.

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