PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs is vowing to veto all legislation until the Republican leaders of the Legislature publicly release their budget proposal.
Hobbs announced the bill moratorium on Monday, just as the House and Senate began meeting, and shortly after she took on dozens of bills, signing 32 and vetoing another 20.
“Arizonans deserve more than these political games,” she said in a statement. “They deserve a budget that cuts taxes for the middle class, funds our public schools and lowers costs for everyday Arizonans. I’m ready to negotiate. My door is open.”
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Hobbs walked away from budget talks with legislative leaders last month over disagreements about a renewal of Proposition 123, a now-expired ballot measure that provided increased distributions from the State Land Trust Fund to K-12 education.
Republicans say the distribution Hobbs proposed was too high and would threaten the fund's long-term health.
We're not willing to do that, so she walked off," House Speaker Pro Tempore Neal Carter told ABC15 on Tuesday. "I don't know how else to say it. The governor needs to come back and work on a budget."
In a statement Tuesday, House Speaker Steve Montenegro called Hobbs' moratorium a political stunt, saying the freeze puts legislation limbo, including bills to reform the state's troubled Department of Child Safety, restrict kids' access to vaping products and research childhood cancer.
"Arizona does not have time for this kind of dysfunction," he said. "The Governor can end it today by coming back to the table and doing the job she was elected to do. Arizona families deserve better."
In an earlier statement Monday, Montenegro said Hobbs left the negotiating table "after it became clear her numbers did not add up."
“That is political theater. Arizona needs a balanced budget built on honest numbers, not press stunts and invented revenue," he said. "House Republicans are at the Capitol, doing the work and ready to govern. The Governor can end her sideshow anytime by coming back to the table, doing her job and dealing with reality.”
Senate President Warren Petersen on Monday called Hobbs’ veto threat “an unserious approach to governing.”
“In response, the Senate will focus on advancing amended bills that require final action while we continue working daily to reach a balanced budget. We’re ready to negotiate and get this done,” he said. “Until then, we’re not going to pretend business as usual can continue under a veto threat. If the Governor is choosing to halt progress, we will respond accordingly.”
Hobbs released her budget proposal in January, but Republicans have criticized the plan’s revenue projections, which include reimbursements the state has requested from the federal government for border security costs, a renewal of Proposition 123 that voters would need to pass and new fees and taxes the Legislature is not considering.
Democrats say Republicans need to release their plan and negotiate on how to balance the budget, saying Hobbs is showing leadership.
"She's playing hardball, and she's saying to the Republicans, 'It's time to come to the negotiating table,'" House House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos told ABC15 on Tuesday.
In her announcement, the governor said two public safety bills are exceptions to her moratorium: a bill expanding state death benefits to pilots employed by law enforcement agencies and a bill for $4.75 million for the Department of Public Safety.
Arizona’s fiscal year ends June 30. The state government will shut down on July 1 without a new budget.
