Welcome to the first week of the First Regular Session of the 57th AZ Legislature. Republican members of the legislature are more energized than they have been in quite some time. That is because of significant victories in 2024. At the national level, Trump had a solid victory despite herculean efforts by the news media and others to defeat him. At the state level, except for the U. S. Senate seat, Republicans scored significant victories. Most notable was what happened with the state legislature. The Democrats spent over 10 million dollars to flip the legislature from Republican control to Democrat control. What they got instead was an increase in the seat advantage held by Republicans. In the Senate that advantage doubled from one seat to two. In the House it tripled from one seat to three.
Because it takes 16 votes in the Senate and 31 votes in the House to pass legislation, in 2024 we had a situation in which any one of 47 Republican legislators was able to kill any bill simply not voting, except in those extremely rare occasions when there was Democrat support for a Republican bill. This new seat advantage puts an end to that obstacle to legislative success. It could also be that Hobbs will have to tone down her extremist socialism and be more likely to negotiate in good faith with the Republicans in the legislature.
This new enthusiasm is reflected in what happened in this first week of the session. The Republicans wasted no time in dealing with some controversial issues this week, such as school safety, taxes, and elections. Among the bills that we are tracking, six were scheduled for action. One was held, one was rescheduled, and four advanced with support along party line.
| BILL # and SHORT TITLE | COMMITTEE OR FLOOR ACTION TAKEN | RESULT |
| HB2022 – school safety; employee certification; policies | House Education | PASSED |
| HB2029 – internet safety instruction; public schools | House Education | HELD |
| HB2074 – school safety; proposals; assessments; plans | House Education | PASSED |
| SB1011 – early voting; ballot deadlines; certificates | Senate Judiciary and Elections | PASSED |
| SB1013 – municipalities; counties; fee increases; vote | Senate Government | PASSED |
| SB1028 – high school graduation; requirements | Senate Education | POSTPONED |
Next week, we will be deep into the session with a full full agenda. Among the bills we are tracking, 18 are scheduled for action next week, as follows.