The second week of the session provided further indications that we are headed for a very busy legislative session. Not only are we seeing lots of new bills introduced, but we are also seeing quite a few reincarnations of bills that failed during the 2024 session. The reasons for this may be best illustrated by examining two unrelated bills.
SB1092 – vehicle mileage; tracking; tax; prohibitions A bill with very similar language was introduced in 2024, but it was “vetoed” by Sen. Ken Bennett when he joined Democrats in their NO vote. Sen. Bennett was defeated in the 2024 primary election and is no longer a member of the legislature. Without Bennett to kill it, this bill is likely to clear both chambers, because it is a very popular bill.
HB2276 – legislative ratification; rulemaking; regulatory costs This bill was among the many that passed along party lines and was vetoed by Hobbs. It may seem foolhardy to think that Hobbs would sign this bill one year later. However, a lot has happened lately. Trump had a decisive victory over Harris, a political clone of Hobbs; the Republicans in the Arizona legislature increased their lead over Democrats, and Hobbs is likely to have a primary challenge. Republicans are well poised to win the governorship in 2026 if they field a credible candidate this time around. All of this indicates that Hobbs may be in a position to moderate her extremism and be less likely to veto some Republican bills.
In other words, a close look at the current political scene may lead to the conclusion that reintroducing bills that failed last year may not be as foolhardy as may appear at first.
As for last week’s results of actions taken on bills that we are tracking, all but one passed, and it has been rescheduled for a hearing.
Next week may very well be a record week in terms of the number of hearings on bills we are tracking. More details may be obtained regarding upcoming activity on these and other bills by subscribing to the People’s Lobbyist free weekly legislative updates. This may be done by submitting name and email address to [email protected]