April 27, 2026
The good news: it's been a relatively quiet week at the Legislature, while both the House and Senate work their way through a number of routine bills. On April 13, the governor vowed not to sign any bills until the Republican majority served up their budget. No budget has been served. No bills have been signed.
The bad news: The word "relatively" in the preceding paragraph is doing a lot of work. By a single vote, the Arizona Senate approved a "postcard to Congress" calling for an Article V Constitutional Convention this week. In other words, it's now likely that Arizona will be added to a list of states calling for a complete scrub and redo of our country's founding document in the name of adding term limits. Important details are below in the "Spotlight" section.
An update on the budget: It's now being reported that Republicans will drop their "no compromise" budget on Monday, with a joint House and Senate Appropriations meeting on Tuesday. They're talking tough: "'We don't negotiate with the Democrat legislators and make compromises and then go to the Democrat governor and make more compromises,' [Senate Majority Leader John] Kavanagh said [quoted in Tucson.com]. 'Besides, this is not a compromise budget.. The governor said she wants to see our budget. She's got it. This is the budget. And, you know, we expect this to be the final budget.'"
There you go again, as one Ronald Reagan said in 1980. It could be we're in for a repeat of the petulance and grandstanding that Republicans tried with the budget last year, before finally glumly caving to reality. The proposed Republican budget reportedly includes further cuts to Medicaid (Arizona's AHCCCS program), food stamps (SNAP), and other impactful social programs to pay for another huge round of tax cuts.
Tempers are high as legislators posture for any advantage (as they see it) in upcoming elections. With Gov. Hobbs running for re-election, Republicans are determined not to pass any policy that could benefit her campaign. The welfare of everyday Arizonans seems to be the last thing on their minds.
Camryn Sanchez
Republicans are vowing to keep any reductions to the ruinously expensive $1 billion ESA voucher program off the negotiating table, as in previous years. They also want to avoid discussing a renewal to Proposition 123, the agreement passed by voters in 2016 which drew from the State Land Trust to help fund public schools. The funding expired nearly a year ago. The majority caucus is determined to append a "poison pill" clause to any renewal, to embed ESA vouchers in the Arizona Constitution. This would likely doom the measure at the ballot. The net loss of more than $300 million for public schools has been backfilled from the general fund, but it's unclear if there will be enough revenue to continue.
According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee's March fiscal highlights, revenue declined by -2.4% compared to March 2025, and the April forecast has reduced end-of-year revenue projection by $199 million. It may be noted that this still does not take into account the full impact of the ongoing Iran war, which is lighting a rocket under inflation and driving consumer sentiment down to its lowest point since measurements began.
The Republicans' budget plan also includes full conformity with federal tax policies, which could mean a further $1.45 billion in revenue losses over several years. The "Big Beautiful Bill" passed by Congressional Republicans last year is the gift that keeps on giving in a cascade of federal cutbacks to the programs that millions depend on. Eight Arizona hospitals are at risk of closure due to Medicaid cuts, and we now learn that over-enthusiastic staff at the Department of Economic Security have cut nearly 47% of those previously eligible for SNAP (food stamps) from eligibility: 424,000 people, including 180,000 children. This culling is the highest in the nation; second highest is Florida, with 16% cuts.
In classic political fashion, it's likely that systemic issues in Arizona's budget will continue to be kicked down the road. The disastrous impact of Gov. Ducey's "flat tax," along with the drain of $1 billion to fund private school vouchers, will continue to keep Arizona in the lowest quadrant in the nation for revenue per capita. A failure to adequately fund our public schools, higher education, infrastructure, and public health and safety will continue to handicap the major resources our state needs to grow and thrive.
In an act of confidence in an early budget deal (or maybe complete disregard?), Republican lawmakers are planning a 3-day junket to Washington, D.C., in mid-June — paid with our tax dollars, of course. The purpose, according to reporting, is "an opportunity to hear how President Trump is ushering in the Golden Age by delivering on the America First agenda.''
Leaving the budget stalemate, we turn to attacking the will of the people to pass initiatives and referendums. We're alarmed at a strike-everything amendment that popped up in the Senate this week and is being rushed through final House concurrence. HB2873 was subject to a striker that would allow referendum petitions to be unilaterally withdrawn after filing — a measure apparently designed to kill public opposition to Beale Infrastructure's massive new data center in Marana. Thousands of Marana residents signed the petitions, which was filed in January and is currently being litigated. In a sharp turnaround, the group that sponsored the referendum requested in February that the petitions be withdrawn and the ballot measure dropped. If passed before the court's decision on the referendum's eligibility for the ballot, the bill would preempt the judgment and toss the will of the voters. The bill is retroactive to December 31, 2025, making it specifically applicable to the Marana referendum.
“The billionaires behind this amendment that is making it get done fast, and the striker itself, they are the people who will profit from this specific data center and they want to quell the voice of the people,” said Sen. Mitzi Epstein (D-12).
While Gov. Hobbs has spoken in favor of eliminating tax incentives for data centers, she has also said the massive, energy-hungry businesses are good for Arizona's high-tech economy. There's a strong possibility that she would sign the bill if it lands on her desk. Calls to your House representatives and veto letters to the governor (full instructions here) are urgently warranted.
After doing their part to blow up our federal constitution with an Article V Convention and working to blow up a people's referendum in Marana, both chambers were sent home early.
⏰ If you have 5 minutes: Call your House representative to express your opposition to HB2873 (information below).
⏰⏰ If you have 15 minutes: Write the governor a veto letter on HB2873. All the explanations and instructions are here.
⏰⏰⏰ If you have 30 minutes: If you haven't already, write the governor a veto letter on HB2133, which we wrote about here.
⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 45 minutes: Republicans may not be movable on the budget, but they need to know we are paying attention — and Democrats need our support. A simple message for your 2 representatives and 1 senator can help: "Please vote for a budget that prioritizes the needs of everyday Arizonans, not millionaires and special interests."
⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ If you have 60 minutes: Join us on Zoom for our CEBV Happy Hour conversation, packed with political analysis, conversation and community. Our special guest this week is Joanna Sweatt, from Common Defense. Happy Hour meets every Sunday at 4 PM through the end of legislative session. We're looking forward to seeing you!
We've spotlighted before the extreme risk of holding an Article V Convention. Those who pretend a forum could be held to consider only term limits are clinging to a dangerous illusion. Don't believe us? Take it from the American Constitution Society:
In our current political climate, a rewrite of our founding document constitutes an unprecedented threat.
We're told that there is still time (through Monday, April 28) to request that Senators Gonzales and Sears file a "motion to reconsider" their votes in favor of HCR2043. Because Republican senators David Farnsworth (R-10), Jake Hoffman (R-15), and Wendy Rogers (R-7) also voted no, the reversal of Gonzales' and Sears' votes would kill the measure. See the Hall of Shame section below for contact information — and please call, especially if you're a constituent!
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We're very disappointed that Democratic 👎🏻 Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (D-20) and 👎🏻 Sen. Kiana Sears (D-9) voted this week in favor of approving HCR2043. This measure would add Arizona to the list of states requesting an Article V Convention; this "postcard to Congress" cannot be vetoed or even voted upon by the public, but is sent directly to Washington, DC. While it's fuzzy how many states have passed a specific request for a Convention dealing with term limits, this is a step toward what could be a disastrous dismantling of our Constitutional government. There are no firm rules governing how an Article V Convention would be organized or run, which means ample opportunity for a catastrophic mess.
This measure affects all of us: whether you're a constituent or not, you can call or write to Senators Gonzales and Sears to express your disappointment and ask them to immediately file a "motion to reconsider:"
Sally Ann Gonzales • sgonzales@azleg.gov • 602-926-3278
Kiana Sears • ksears@azleg.gov • 602-926-3374
In addition, you can use Common Cause's email tool to write to both legislators urging them to reconsider their votes.
👎🏻 We're also severely disappointed in a handful of Democrats who voted in favor of HB2873, a strike-everything amendment that was rushed through the Senate and has gone to the House for concurrence. The bill would circumvent a voters' initiative in Marana opposing construction of a vast data center by allowing the completed petitions to be withdrawn. Litigation is pending, but the rushed bill would bypass the judicial process.
Whether you're one of their constituents or not, you can call or write to the following legislators who voted to give Beale Infrastructure a free pass and toss the will of Marana voters:
Lela Alston (D-5) • lalston@azleg.gov • 602-926-5829
Brian Fernandez (D-23) • bfernandez@azleg.gov • 602-926-3098
Rosanna Gabaldon (D-21) • rgabaldon@azleg.gov • 602-926-3424
Flavio Bravo (D-26) • fbravo@azleg.gov • 602-926-4033
Nothing to see here! That's because the Governor drew a line in the sand by declaring she would veto every bill sent to her until the Republicans in the Legislature send her there proposed budget. So they are simply sitting on the bills they've passed until the ultimatum is revoked.
2026 Session Timeline
Tuesday 4/21: 100th Day of Session (the purported end goal; can be changed)
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
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Congratulations, you made it to the end! Cathy just returned from Scotland and Melinda is currently in Ireland, so there's no better time to enjoy Sean the Sheepman's sheep-herding border collies! 🐕
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