May 18, 2026

We call this time of year at the Capitol "the fog of secrecy": when nearly everything that happens there happens behind closed doors. CEBV's mission is to help cut through that fog. It's more important than ever that we remain as engaged as possible and remind our lawmakers that we are still watching. Here's what happened this week and what you can do to advocate for positive results.

Regular meetings. Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders have “agreed to a regular cadence of meetings going forward” to hash out budget details behind closed doors. On Thursday, Hobbs lifted her bill moratorium, which she said she wouldn't do until Republicans began holding budget talks “in good faith.” Senate President Warren Petersen (R-14) verified this, saying, "We'll resume moving bills on Monday and finishing up the remaining work of the session." (The House may or may not decide to come back before June 4; they aren't saying.) There arguably aren't any good bills left, so this likely means more vetoes — but a couple of concerning bills remain that could get a signature. See "Spotlight" to learn how you can advocate against these.

You can't go home yet, but don't stay here. Friday marked Day 120 of what is designed to be a 100-day legislative session. At this stage, state law specifies a drastic cut in lawmakers’ per diem subsistence allotments, a move designed to encourage them to wrap up business and go home. Even given this cut, Arizona lawmakers will collectively take almost $200,000 in taxpayer-provided per diem while they are recessed. (Questions? See "The More You Know" below.)

A ghost town. The Senate gaveled in on Monday, held some limited debate but took no votes, and adjourned until next Monday. Though they could come back with 72 hours notice, the House officially remains off the floor until June 4. These extended breaks, which have become par for the course during Hobbs' tenure, have left the Capitol complex eerily quiet (though some lawmakers say they are still showing up).

The silver lining. One reason often given for the extended breaks is that there's no point in bringing all lawmakers to the Capitol daily when only some are involved in closed-door budget negotiations. One of those negotiators, Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-21), recently told the Arizona Mirror that the break will be worth it if Democrats can negotiate a better budget. She said she's optimistic that their negotiations with Republicans will help make impending cuts less painful. 

Speaking of impending. Recess or no, lawmakers' one constitutionally mandated responsibility remains the creation of a state budget. The deadline is midnight on June 30. The closer Arizona inches toward that immovable point, the more pressure they'll feel to ink an agreement. As time goes on, constituent pressure (from folks like us) becomes more and more important, so keep reaching out! See "What Can I Do?" below for action items.

⏰ If you have 5 minutes: Contact Gov. Hobbs at 602-542-4331 or engage@az.gov and request that she veto HB2133 when it reaches her desk. See "Spotlight" below for details.

⏰⏰ If you have 15 minutes: Contact Republican legislative budget negotiators (below). Remind them we expect them to build a budget that funds the services Arizonans depend on, not to slash and burn. You can contact these lawmakers regardless of what district you live in, as they are negotiating on behalf of the entire state.

House:
Steve Montenegro (R-29) • smontenegro@azleg.gov • 602-926-3635
Michael Carbone (R-25) • mcarbone@azleg.gov • 602-926-4038

Senate:
Warren Petersen (R-14) • wpetersen@azleg.gov • 602-926-4136

⏰⏰⏰ If you have 30 minutes: Contact your own state senator and request that they oppose HB2758 when it comes up for a vote. See "Spotlight" below for details.

⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Scan the list of ballot referral measures that are still alive (especially those marked in the list as high priority), and contact your senator on HCRs and your representatives on SCRs (especially Republicans) with your expectations. We must not allow these harmful measures to get wrapped into negotiations as the price of someone’s budget vote.

⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom for our CEBV Happy Hour conversation, packed with political analysis, conversation and community. Happy Hour meets every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of legislative session. We're looking forward to seeing you. 

The bills below are among the worst ideas that are still alive this year. These may be dusted off and advanced in the last days of session. Contact lawmakers as indicated to demonstrate you are still paying attention, and advocate for the harmful legislation to be shelved.

Ask Senate to Oppose:

HB2758 (Griffin, R-19) would allow a New York-based investment fund to drain and sell 26 billion gallons of groundwater from La Paz county aquifers. This would destroy the only state law protecting groundwater for those that rely on it, and would devastate a community where county supervisors are pleading for more state water regulation. The bill passed the House with some bipartisan support (see our Feb. 23 "Hall of Shame"), so it's important that lawmakers hear from us. Awaits a Senate floor vote. OPPOSE. 

Ask the Governor to Veto:

HB2133 (Kupper, R-25) is a Project 2025-inspired bill that would drive political censorship by requiring the consent of people depicted in digitally created content if politicians decide the material is “harmful to children.” Anyone who posts a cartoon or AI-generated video featuring a depiction of a real person would need that person’s consent. This will lead to broad censorship of online content; experts warn it could result in streaming services like Netflix refusing to serve Arizona altogether. Gov. Hobbs is actively pushing to sign the bill, which is being sold as an "anti-revenge porn" measure. OPPOSE.

One of the most common questions we get this time of year is whether state lawmakers still get paid while on breaks.

Short answer: yes. Not only do they continue drawing their $24,000 yearly salary, but their per diem payments continue as well. During this current four-week break, Arizona taxpayers will spend about $178,000 on per diem for legislators who officially don’t have any work to do. The policy set by the House and Senate majority is that each lawmaker gets per diem for every day of a regular or special legislative session, including Fridays and weekends, whether they are present at the Capitol or not. This means lawmakers will continue to receive those funds from now until session permanently adjourns, which might not be until June 30 (and which in 2023 wasn't until July 31).

How much? Per diem varies according to the area each lawmaker represents. Those in Maricopa County take home $35/day for the first 120 days of legislative session, $10/day after that. Non-Maricopa County lawmakers get $269/day for the first 120 days, $135/day after that. As the 120th day of session was this past Friday, May 15, all lawmakers are now getting the reduced rates.

Is that fair? Per diem was overhauled in 2021 to ensure "rural" lawmakers, with their higher travel costs and need to set up temporary Capitol-area residences, wouldn’t go broke trying to serve. However, the resultant gigantic pay gap is being increasingly criticized for its inequity. In 2023, the average total per diem for Maricopa County lawmakers was $5,700, while lawmakers in the other 14 counties got a total average of $45,500. Some lawmakers even figured out how to game the system by moving small distances across a county line while still representing the same district. This is just one reason why the topic of lawmaker pay is so complex, and why the ubiquitous pay-raise ballot measure proposals we see every year don't fully answer the conundrum.

2026 Session Timeline

Friday 5/15: Day 120 of legislative session; per diem drops
Wednesday 6/24: Early voting begins for the 7/21 primary election
Tuesday 6/30: Constitutionally mandated deadline to pass a state budget

Committees & Contacts

Here's a handy list of lawmaker contact info, committee chairs and assignments.

CEBV Action Linktree

Want other ways to take action? Need to stay informed? Looking for our social media, inspiration, or self-care tips? Look no further than our Linktree.

Congratulations, you made it to the end! Please enjoy this clip of Harrison Ford speaking to ASU's spring 2026 graduating class. He tells the crowd how college introduced him to his acting career and helped him discover his purpose, and encourages the young graduates to use their power and passion to "go change the world."