Arizona legislature

A Republican-led plan to call a special session in Arizona to negotiate with the Arizona Education Association (AEA) over school voucher reforms is unlikely to succeed. The plan aimed to block two citizen-led initiatives targeting the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, but failed after a negotiated compromise collapsed, leading Republicans to push a controversial bill that would effectively block ESA reforms.

Arizona voters will decide on 10 GOP-backed ballot measures in November, including constitutional amendments and state law changes related to education, elections, and taxes. The measures aim to address issues like school voucher programs, labor union restrictions, and mail-in voting, with some designed to bypass vetoes by Governor Katie Hobbs.

Arizona's Republican-controlled legislature placed a measure (HCR 2001) on the November ballot requiring mail voters to provide government-issued ID. If approved, the measure would take effect in 2028 and is part of a national GOP effort to restrict mail voting. Similar proposals have been introduced in Ohio and by former President Donald Trump's administration.

The Arizona Legislature ended its 2026 session after a late-night session where Republicans pushed through measures to send conservative policies to voters, bypassing Governor Katie Hobbs' potential veto. The session involved rapid-fire votes on hundreds of bills, with Republicans using resolutions to place legislation directly on the November ballot, leading to tensions between parties.

Arizona's $18.3 billion state budget passed with $1.4 billion in Trump tax cuts over three years and a moratorium on new data center tax incentives. The bipartisan approval included compromises like reduced agency budget cuts and protections for Medicaid recipients, though some Democrats opposed parts of the plan.

Arizona Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs reached a $18.3 billion budget deal including $1.45 billion in tax cuts aligned with federal changes via President Trump’s 'One Big Beautiful Bill', avoiding a government shutdown. The bipartisan agreement requires legislative approval and Hobbs' signature, following months of negotiations between the parties.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs ended her month-long bill-signing moratorium after a week of negotiations with Republicans. The Republicans had approved a budget aligning Arizona’s tax code with federal changes under President Donald Trump, which Hobbs vetoed. The budget included tax cuts funded by agency cuts, and the legislature adjourned for most of May after the veto.